Cambiare por el migliore
by Hebinekojin
Summary: Double potion SlytherinGryffindors. Harry is paired with Neville...Draco threw something into their cauldron, and as Neville add the next ingredient, Harry is drenched into a ruined Animagus Revelae Potion... With unexpected consequences... SLASH!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer : I do abolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from Bleedingstargodess.

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place...

Beta(s) : A huge thanks to Bleedingstargodess, because of whom this story does look more understandable, and 'Max' (I don't know yet what he wants to be called), my new one who took over. All remaining mistakes are my own.

Still here? On with the show!

Chapter 1 Hero complex will get you in trouble

It was one of those days, where a scent of summer still lingered, when the whole of nature seemed to hum a cheerful air. Even some of the more tearful first years (nearly all in Hufflepuff) seemed more at ease and less moping about their separation from their parents.

It was a perfect day for mooching around the lake, eating, throwing the occasional bit to the giant squid and joking with friends. Or for Quidditch practice, or, even better, idle flying and playing with the wind...

Certainly not a day for going downstairs, through cold corridors towards the class of doom: double Potions. And, as if this was not enough in itself, it was with the Slytherins. One would think that Dumbledore would have understood by now, from previous disasters, that nothing good would come of that. But no, being the stubborn old...hem that he was, double Potions with the Slytherins remained. Anyway, he kept on throwing two houses that hated each other together for lessons.

'Maybe,' Harry went on with his reflections, as he let his body move on its own, 'it is because Gryffindors are the only ones courageous enough not to let the Slytherins frighten them into complete panic...Or not to let them walk all over them.' Harry snorted. 'Well, Snape by himself is enough to frighten the more courageous students. The other houses do not need the added pressure of the Slytherins...'

He snickered, imagining Snape's reactions to a joint class of Slytherin and Hufflepuff – Snape going blue in the face, trying to get the poor panicked Hufflepuffs to get a move on while the Slytherins laughed themselves silly. Harry then imagined the same image with a change of cast, Ravenclaws instead of Hufflepuffs, and they would be practicing shielding charms and defending spells to protect their cauldrons from unwanted –and un-needed– ingredients. Either way, it was better to try and fill his head with happy thoughts than dreading in advance something he could not avoid. This way, he might even find some humour into the situation.

He sighed deeply, remembering some days when this habit had helped him through his life. He sighed again as he reached the door, earning another suspicious glance from his friends. It seemed he got a lot of those lately.

At least today would be interesting enough; they would do the Animagus Revelae potion, one which would bring forth their "inner animal". Harry smirked anew, conjuring a lovely image of Snape in Trelawney's usual attire, lecturing the students about their "inner animal"...With a nod, Harry decided to keep this image in mind to superpose on Snape if he became too unbearable. Speaking of Snape...

"Well, Potter, do you plan on standing there all day in the corridor, admiring the reflection of light on the dust – however close to your level it may be?"

Harry blushed, cursing mentally at his friends for not warning him of the opening of the classroom's door. When he let his eyes drift to look at Snape, he bit the inside of his cheek; it was all he could do to repress a giggle and thus caused Snape to frown harder. Biting his lips to prevent his laugh from escaping – something which would not go well with his sour professor, he carefully edged his way around Snape's looming form and into the classroom. He was on his way to the last seat available, next to Neville, when he tripped on a leg, attached to one Draco Malfoy.

As he was picking himself up from the floor and rolling his eyes at the snickers from the Slytherin side of the room, he noticed the black robes belonging to his professor stopping near him with a last swirl.

"Well, Potter, I see you didn't leave this attention-seeking at the door of my classroom. Get to your seat so that people who want to learn can. Five points from Gryffindor for this demonstration of clumsiness." Snape strode to his desk while Harry, his face red with embarrassment, scrambled to obey.

Snape began his lecture.

"Today we will try to complete the Animalia Revelae potion. It will enable you to discover what your Animagus form would be should you decide to make an attempt at becoming one. Which I do not advise some of you to do." His pointed stare at Harry left no doubt as to who this advice was directed. "Was there something you wanted to add, Mr. Weasley?" he asked without missing a beat when he saw Ron's face red with rage and his mouth opening.

"I thought not," he added with a smirk when Ron looked down at his desk, mouth snapping shut. "What are you waiting for? The ingredients are on the board. Begin!"

Neville went to collect what they would need while Harry busied himself with setting the cauldron on the boiler.

On his way back to their desk, Draco Malfoy "inadvertently" stumbled against it, making some of their Instictis herbs, used to call the animal forth, fall to the floor.

"Oh, so sorry, Scar-head." He bent to retrieve the bunch of yellowish herbs from the floor. "Here you go. Wouldn't want you to break your glasses bending down to get them, now would we?"

"Mister Malfoy, five points to Slytherin for your courteousness."

Frowning, Harry stared at the small bundle of herbs Malfoy had dumped into his hand; something didn't seem right but he couldn't place it.

"Well, Potter," he added, grabbing the herbs from Harry's hand and throwing them into the cauldron, "there's no use in letting a good potion go to waste. It is time to add the Instictis herbs. Now, stir ten times anti-clockwise. Your grades are abysmal as it is, no use to sabotage your potions," he tsk-ed when Harry opened his mouth to protest that it was him who had sabotaged most of his potions, winked at him and sauntered back to his desk.

"Mister Malfoy, I somehow doubt that even with your help they would be able to successfully complete a potion." Snape and Malfoy both smirked at a seething Harry. "Anyway, ten points to Slytherin for trying to help a lost cause."

Harry clung with all his might to his Trelawney-style Snape fantasy to avoid speaking his mind about what Snape could do with his "lost cause" and getting a detention.

Still, about those herbs...Harry was nearly sure that the herbs Malfoy had thrown into the cauldron were not the ones that had fallen on the floor.

A nearly panicked whisper from Neville brought him back from his musings.

"Harry, is the potion supposed to do that?" His voice was frantic.

Harry blanched at the sight of the dark bubbling mass their potion had become.

"What did you add?" he whispered sharply to Neville.

"The fairy wings, just as it's written on the board!" Neville squeaked.

Harry smiled at him to reassure the nervous boy.

'The problem with Neville is that he is insecure and eager to please at the same time. This is never a good combination,' he reflected, ' because when things go wrong, he hurries to correct the situation to avoid a confrontation. And the panic freezes his ability to think. The more he tries, the more he makes things worse. And the more he panics...' With a shake of his head, Harry refocused on the task at hand. He noticed that the potion was already beginning to lick the rim of the cauldron when it should only have been halfway full.

He quickly pushed Neville out of spraying range, sending him tumbling into the left wall of the classroom. They were lucky their desk was the last one...He paled suddenly, his gaze fleeing from the potion to the blond Slytherin whose desk was on the right of their own...It was a good thing Draco worked alone. Harry rushed towards him, grabbing the back of his robes, and, with the boost adrenaline gave him, he hauled the blond boy out of his stool before sending him flying into the arms of an angry Snape (who had been rushing to their side at the first sign of Harry Potter molesting one of his precious Slytherins). Both of them went sprawling to the floor.

There was no more time to think, dodge or even pray as the potion finally erupted. Like a geyser, it went straight to the ceiling, but it stopped before reaching the rafters though and poured down on poor Harry alone, and he became drenched in the failed potion.

As soon as the potion touched his skin, Harry screamed. A long keening wail, which shattered the glass vials located on the shelves behind Snape's desk as his magic tried to get it off and the resounding shockwaves shattered anything breakable.

Snape disentangled himself from Draco and sprang to his feet.

"Everybody, out!" he bellowed to his terrorized students, who were too stunned and shocked at the screaming Harry to move. They obeyed as quickly as they could when Snape's voice rang through their heads. However, Draco stayed sitting on the floor, his wide open eyes eating up half of his face. And Ron and Hermione lingered in the threshold of the door, unsure if they should stay and try to help or leave as instructed.

"If you insist on staying, make yourselves useful! Go and fetch Madam Pomfrey!" he barked at the two Gryffindors, who nodded and dashed in the direction of the infirmary in need of helping their friend.

Meanwhile, Snape slowly approached the still wailing Harry. He scourgified the potion covering Harry, to reveal a naked teen, his skin unblemished by welts or burns. He felt his breath catch; this was bad, it meant that the potion was being absorbed into Harry's skin.

Trust the foolish Gryffindor to end in these sorts of predicaments! He sighed and collected a sample of their potion for further analysis. Giving the sample to Draco, who clung to it like a talisman, he extended his hand towards Harry, whose scream was now more like a pitiful wail. Harry recoiled away from Snape's hand, curling up into a tight ball struggling to flee the contact. He even began to claw at his arms, trying to find another way to get rid of the fire cursing through his veins.

Pointing his wand at Harry, Snape tried a simple stunner, which dissolved before reaching the shaking teen, absorbed by the waves of magic rolling around the distraught and whimpering Gryffindor.

The ex-Death Eater was contemplating trying darker spells when Harry fainted. He immediately gathered Harry in his arms and, stepping over a shocked Draco, carried him to the couch within his office, a faint jingling sound trailing his steps, unnoticed.

Once sure that Harry was as comfortable as he could make him, he strode back to the classroom, collecting Draco on his way. Together, they returned the class to as much normalcy as possible, getting rid of the ruined bottles' potion contents and repairing the vials, dousing the fires, cleaning the students' cauldrons with a charm and sending their ingredients into conjured boxes sporting the names of the students. The shock was slowly receding from Draco. He dug the sample from his robe pocket, where he had put it to have his hands free while cleaning, put it on the table and left as soon as Madam Pomfrey arrived with the Headmaster.

While the nurse was examining Harry, Snape began to work on the sample, identifying all the ingredients used and their interactions to try and find an antidote. He was answering the Headmaster's questions as he went.

Dumbledore gazed at Harry with sadness before he and Madam Pomfrey left after all that could be done for the unconscious boy. It was left to Severus to figure out what had gone wrong and what would happen to Harry. Dumbledore bid Snape goodbye and left the dour Potions master and the insentient bane of his existence alone in the dungeons.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer : I still don't own anything ressembling Harry Potter apart from a pair of glasses.

Her comes the newly beta-read chapter by Max82. All remaining errors are mine alone.

Chapter 2: From Bad To Worse Without Saying "Go" and Collecting 200 £

Finally done with his analysis and angry like an over-boiled potion, Severus Snape went to loom over the Gryffindor sleeping on his couch under a blanket – courtesy of Madam Pomfrey. Crossing his arms, he frowned at the oblivious teen.

_Of course, it has to happen to him_. He scowled as he reluctantly admitted, _Well, even being the blubbering incompetent fool that he is in Potions, I must admit Longbottom is passable enough an herbologist and would never confuse Instictis herbs for Veelanip_. He snorted. _And I know who_ might _be able to get his hands on some. I'll let him two days to come to me before I_ask _him. But I somehow know it is all Potter's fault._

With a last sneer, he placed a monitoring charm on the slightly snoring Harry and twirled on his heels to his bedroom, cursing Dumbledore in his head.

_It is for the best, Severus, not to move him..._ his inner voice supplied in a mockery of Dumbledore's own. _You are the best suited to look after him, you have some calming draught on hand and ingredients to make more should it be needed. Nyah nyah nyah..._ he ended with a grimace.

Severus refused to acknowledge the slight blush gracing his cheeks at such a childish behaviour. It was due to anger, he reflected, anger at being forced to look after _him _by that _crazy old menace to society...__and decency,_ he added as an afterthought, remembering some of the more _colourful_ robes the Headmaster had worn. Slamming his bedroom door made him feel slightly better.

_Hum..._ Harry sighed contentedly as he tested his limbs for pain by stretching sinuously and finding none. _No pain! Was it all a dream?_

He opened half an eye to survey his surroundings. He closed it again, satisfied, and sighed happily, ready to go back to sleep. Something was not quite…something... He jerked suddenly upright, his eyes wide open and widening some more as he took his surroundings in.

He scrunched them closed and opened them in a quick succession, hoping that what could only be Snape's office would, by miracle, melt into the Gryffindor fifth years' dormitory. No such luck.

He rubbed his eyes with his left hand, nuzzling the thick soft hair growing on it for a few seconds before drawing it back to have a good look at it, well more like a stare...

It was covered with black fur up till mid forearm, but that was not the strangest thing about it. Indeed, it was a cat paw, complete with retractable claws, with which Harry played for a few minutes before bringing his right one side by side to compare. It didn't matter much whether he looked at them from a different angle, or went back to them after a few minutes spent observing his Potions professor's office with unashamed curiosity. Both stayed cat paws.

Sighing, he shook himself out of his slight daze and looked at the rest of his body. Two perfectly formed and functional cat feet were replacing his own and wiggled back to his incredulous stare.

Spying a mirror in a corner near a closed door, Harry turned towards it and studied his reflection. Horrified yet curious, he slowly got up, and once he had a good grip on walking on his new cat feet, he went to confront the horrible reality the mirror hinted at.

Devouring his image with his eyes, Harry felt his jaw dropping open. Black-furred, triangular ears peaked out from the messy bangs where his ears _should_ have been. Sometimes they turned of their own volition when a log snapped and crackled in the fireplace, or towards the bookcase as an old leather-bound book's spine creaked loudly in the still air.

Incredulous, Harry's eyes moved lower to the rest of his face. Nothing seemed changed ... Wait a minute! His glasses were absent but his sight was even sharper than when they had been on. His eyes bulged when he saw his pupils widening to compensate for the dim light. He had slit pupils in his eyes, for Merlin's sake! His eyes were glowing too! Harry gulped, his head was pounding.

_Keep breathing! Find out what else is …. _He couldn't bring himself to think the word 'wrong'.

He began to slightly hyperventilate. Okay, next was his nose. Inspecting it, he noticed no major change – except it was slightly pinker and pointed ... complete with whiskers ...

Just as he was beginning to get a shaking grip on his rising panic, he finally noticed the presence of a faint jingling sound. He turned quickly, noticing the slightly louder jingle as he moved.

One of his ears flickered backwards, informing him that the tinkling he heard was coming from behind him. He turned back but saw nothing. Annoyed, he began to hiss lightly. Sensing something moving behind him, he let his shoulder slump before reaching with slightly trembling hands to the small of his back.

He whimpered slightly when he encountered the base of what could only be a tail. To be more accurate, his tail. He followed it on its length, bringing it in front of his eyes, allowing him to examine it. Like all extra or changed appendages, his tail was covered in silky soft fur of the deepest black. Approximately one third before its end was tied in a velvet green bow, the exact hue of his eyes, with two minuscule bells sewn on the knot's free lengths. His eyes narrowed; was this some sort of sick joke by Snape!?

Harry shook his head. Now, that wasn't so important; after all, with the rest of his features altered in the form they were, he should have suspected it. But he was going to have a talk with the Headmaster about Snape's inappropriate joke on his very dazzled behalf. Frowning, he tilted his tail from side to side to catch the fire light on a peculiar place that seemed clumped together. Frowning harder, he brought it to his mouth, smoothing a tangle of his fur with quick and precise licks. The hair in his mouth did not bother him in the least.

Absentmindedly, he went to sit in front of the fire, continuing his soothing grooming. His earlier panic attack was dimmed by the need to get rid of the wretched tangle.

_Well, it seems reasonable to think that my_ inner animal _is a cat_. He paused to lick his right arm before passing it over his right ear. _Maybe I'm a cat because I'm curious, independent and sometimes manipulative ... hiding what I'm really capable of or thinking behind the mask of a lazy, empty-headed and rash Gryffindor..._. He chuckled darkly; if only the others knew just how conscious of everything he was... _Besides, it was either that or something winged. And I'm not empty-headed enough to be a sparrow, not wise enough to be an owl, or arrogant enough to be an eagle..._. He snickered quietly. _I guess it fits._

He shrugged before licking his other arm and tending to his other ear. Just as he was finishing, he heard the door near the mirror opening. Harry delicately sniffed at the new scent the air brought. Wonderful earthy scents with a small acidic sharpness and an undertone of smoke equated to the one and only current Potions professor in Harry's mind.

He spied Snape gliding towards him when he paused in mid lick. Something was nagging at his mind... He felt his heart stop before resuming its functioning. The fact that he was naked hadn't bothered Harry in the slightest; it seemed natural, almost right when he was alone, but now, in Snape's presence...

"Potter!" His Potions professor's exasperated tone warned him that his mind had been wandering again. His professor's hand on his shoulder frightened him. He jumped to his feet and, in an attempt to escape, swatted Severus's hand away before he clawed his way up a tapestry hung on the wall near the fireplace. Once settled on the left top corner of a shelf, he hissed and panted, attempting to calm himself.

"Potter!" Snape hissed, and Harry wondered if he had some feline ancestors. "That tapestry is an original Aubusson, you had better not have damaged it!"

_Oh sure,_ Harry thought darkly, _all you care for is your damned tapestry!_

Harry glanced back at his fuming professor, who had his arms crossed over his chest. He opened his mouth and started to berate the sour man but closed it again in mid meow. He blushed at the sound of it.

_Why can't I speak? Maybe I'm too angry to be using words ... yeah that's it ... all over his stupid tapestry! _Harry allowed that to calm him for his sudden lack of speaking abilities.

"Potter! Stop daydreaming and come down immediately,_ without_ damaging the tapestry! There are some things the Headmaster insisted that I inform you of."

Harry shook his head stubbornly before glancing meaningfully at his naked legs.

"For Slytherin's sake, Potter! You've got nothing I've never seen before! Don't make us lose any more time over your pitiable show of modesty!" He smirked before pointing his wand at a scowling Harry. "Unless you prefer me to _help_ you?" The accentuation Snape gave to the word "help" made Harry shiver. "I will even turn around if that will ease your pathetic fear and promise I will not peek if it will reassure you enough to get down _without_ damaging my tapestry."

Snape smirked sarcastically before turning to illustrate his good will and glaring at an innocent bookcase at the idea of being the one forced to explain the situation to The-Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Pain-In-His-Side.

The left corner of his mouth quirked upwards at the slight sound of jingling bells padding towards his couch followed by the rustling of the comforter being draped around a body.

Snape's eyebrow rose as he turned to be confronted by the sight of Harry wearing a duvet made toga a little bit crocked to accommodate his newly acquired tail.

He watched Harry settling comfortably on his couch before claiming his armchair.

"Potter," he began, his black eyes swirling with amusement, never leaving Harry's huddled form, "I will begin by the good news and progress from here." He waited for Harry's nod before going on. "Longbottom is not responsible for this... situation." He scowled at Harry's incredulous air. "Stop looking at me like that!" He stopped to listen to Harry's indignant meows. "You shouldn't accuse somebody without proof, Potter; it is a well-known sign of immaturity." He chose to ignore Harry's next mew.

"Will you let me continue?" He glared at Harry, who was pacing in agitation in front of the fireplace. "As I was going to say before being so rudely interrupted, somebody switched the Instictis herbs you were supposed to use for something called Veelanip. It is an herb used in infusions by Veelas when they come into their inheritance and need to anchor their natural instincts so they can retain enough sanity not to frighten away their future mate while trying to get them to bond.

Your Animagus revealing potion was near completion, as the Instictis herbs are the second to last ingredient to be added. The resulting change in herbs brought forth some physical manifestations of your inner animal and anchored them, as well as your animal instincts. So, now you basically are half human half cat, but with very powerful feline instincts, which are going to overcome and replace most of your human instincts. Would you mind not batting at my robes?" Harry mewled in protest before getting off the floor and away from the loose string on Snape's robes. "Thank you," he sighed at a chastised Harry, who curled up into a ball on the couch.

"See what I mean. Your glasses were found under a stool, broken. But you don't seem to need them, do you?"

Harry shook his head negatively and asked about his wand as he had yet to see it.

"Your wand," Snape answered to Harry's mewl, "was nowhere to be found. Even the Accio charm was of no use. I personally think it has been absorbed into your body, providing the last catalyst needed to anchor the transformation. I will, of course, try to find an antidote, but in the meantime you are stuck like this."

He was forced to stop when mewls in crescendo issued from a rightfully angry Harry that jumped off the couch and started making wild hand motions, talking about being stuck in this form forever, killing the one who made him like this, and other such nonsense.

Snape stood and grabbed the agitated teen-cat and gently shook him.

"Stop that, I never said it was permanent, did I? Because it was Veelanip what was added to the mix, there is a slight chance you will be back to normal as soon as you find your soul mate."

After an incredulous sniff, Harry settled to blink at Snape in silence. Snape sighed. Harry told Snape what he thought of the whole "soul mate" bit.

"I can assure you, Potter, that I am not in the slightest joking. Now you are going to eat breakfast, and after that we will try and find what you are capable of doing."

Harry's eyes started to glow happily as they focused on a specific corner of the office, and his ears twitched as he looked like he was about to pounce. Severus looked in Harry's direction and saw a house-elf bringing in a tray of food. Severus sighed when Harry growled low in his throat at the house–elf, which started shivering in fear at the sudden predatory noise.

Without missing a beat Severus extended his arm just in the nick of time to grab first Harry's tail and, after tugging sharply at it, the back of Harry's toga. Harry hissed in pain and pulled his tail away from Snape's harsh grip. He whimpered and the house-elf squeaked.

"That was not what I meant. You are in no way authorised to jump on house-elves."

He stood up and wrapped one of his arms around a struggling teen-cat who was still trying to reach and corner the cowering house-elf. He effectively pinned Harry against his chest, ignoring his excited meows and waving arms attempting to paw at the elf's big pointed nose.

"Put the tray on the table and leave. It would be best if you came here only during class hours or at night to avoid such occurrences."

The elf couldn't obey quickly enough. Harry mewed softly at the sight of the leaving servant and resumed his struggles. Snape sighed and, using his superior height and the arm he had wrapped around Harry's waist, lifted Harry's entire body until his feet were no longer touching the floor and turned him towards the tray before placing him back on the ground. He let go of Harry once he was sure the Boy-Turned-Cat caught the smell of the meat ... specifically bacon.

Harry ran to the tray, dismissing the tea and bread and going straight for the bacon, attacking it barehanded and completely disregarding the cutlery.

"It's going to be a long day," Snape commented dryly at the sight of Harry collecting bacon slices on his claws before gulfing them down. Harry's tail twitched as Snape saw one ear turning towards him. Harry had heard what he had said, however low, and he flicked his tail once more in annoyance. But, the effect was lost at the slight tinkle of the two bells.

Severus waited for Harry to finish ravishing the bacon; one never came between a kitten and its food. He sighed again as he sat back down in his chair. A slight tug at his chest made him wince. The stupid brat was giving him heart burn, he just knew it.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French.

Beta : a huge thanks to Bleedingstargoddess, because of whom this story does look more understandable, and to Max82, who took over.

Still here? On with the show!

Chapter 3 - Directions for Riling Potions Masters

"Are you quite done?" Snape asked, amused at the sight of a grooming Harry, who had settled in front of the fire for a full primping session, even if his claws had been the only things he had dirtied during breakfast.

Harry didn't bother to dignify this enquiry with an answer, only flicking his tail twice in his Potions professor's direction. After a few minutes of silence – and carefully hidden fidgeting on Snape's part – Harry finally turned towards his professor, a smile threatening to blossom on his lips as he remembered his humorous image of a Trelawney/Snape mix. He was suddenly hit full in the face with fabric. He growled.

"Don't you dare start, Potter, unless you want to remain in a toga?" Snape teased.

Harry blushed and put on the pants, slipping his tail through the tailored slit in the back. He completely ignored the shirt and just put on a vest; it would allow him to get to his fur easily.

"Well, let's start simple, though knowing you this might prove too difficult for you. Try to say something."

"Meow?"

"By speaking, not mewing, Potter!" Snape snarled and rolled his eyes, annoyed by Harry's question. "And here I thought I would be safe from your inane comments."

He winced at the string of mewls emanating from an agitated teen-cat about how it wasn't _his_ fault that he couldn't form words. The more agitated and angered Harry became, the shriller he mewled.

'_It looks like he can only meow ... curious...'_

"Enough!" Snape roared, but his admonition went unheard under Harry's verbal deluge of crass language. Severus rubbed a temple and pulled out his wand. "_Silencio_!"

For a few seconds, Harry was so infuriated that he didn't notice his momentary lack of voice. Snape revelled in the silence, rubbing his temples a bit harder to get rid of the migraine threatening to get hold of him.

When Harry was done doing a fair imitation of a stranded fish, he narrowed his eyes till only twin green slits could be seen. He crouched low, his back arched down, his shoulders up, his ears flicked towards the fire before he pounced, every nail extended and poised for his Professor. With a _thump_ he brought the both of them to the hard floor.

Only reflexes honed by years of dodging exploding cauldrons saved Severus's eyes from being scratched out by an enraged cat-boy. With a harsh shove, he managed to push Harry away. But like any normal cat not done with its toy, Harry rushed back to hurt Severus, intending to finish what he had started.

"_Impedimenta_!" Snape hissed, annoyed at Potter's need for revenge.

If the spell had slowed him, Harry showed no sign of it; instead he seemed to increase his speed. Snape gulped; things were quickly getting out of hand. He had just the time to utter, "_Locomotor Mortis_!" before being blown over by Harry's weight. Harry's claws tried to slash Snape's cheek, but Severus moved his head and caught one of Potter's wrists. Not to be undone, Harry went to use his other hand and Snape caught that too. At the moment, Potter was nothing more than an angry kitten. Potter growled at being held and kneed Severus in the gut, trying to get the older man to loosen his grip. Snape was quickly losing his patience and turned them over, straddling Harry's thighs and pinning his hands above his head.

"Calm down, Potter!" he barked, struggling to keep his hold on Harry's wrists.

Harry continued to struggle like mad, till Snape, in a stroke of genius, restrained both of his wrists with one hand and used the other one to scratch behind one of his ears. The kitten that was Potter went boneless under him, butting his head against the stroking hand, trying to get it to continue its movements, a hint of a purr making its way out of Harry's throat.

'_Oh keep that up! That's pure heaven!' _

Harry's eyes closed. He never noticed his Severus manoeuvring them till he was sitting on the floor, Harry's head in his lap for easy access.

After a few minutes of purring ecstasy, Harry shook his head to clear it, scrambled out of his Snape's lap, horrified and embarrassed. Harry growled once, not at all thrilled that he could be distracted so easily. This was not good, not good at all!

He started pacing in front of a smirking and amused Severus; he desperately tried to regain a grip on his anger, but he was too relaxed for that. Glaring at his Severus, he suddenly smirked, a devious plan forming in his mind. The sight of this smirk made Snape shudder, remembering the exact same look on James's face when he was about to do something rather wicked.

"Well, Potter, ready to continue?" he asked cautiously. Potter junior was probably far worse now with the new form. Severus wanted to rub his temples, what had he done that pissed karma off so much?

Harry nodded, his 'approval' to continue finally granted.

"Don't move, I want to try something," he ordered. It wouldn't do to have Potter getting into a worse position than he already was. Harry gulped as he eyed his professor's wand pointing straight at him. "Could we possibly skip the hysterics, this time around? Or is it too much to ask? And to think that Gryffindors are supposed to be courageous..." He rolled his eyes as Harry stuck his tongue out, his ears flattened on his skull and the end of his tail snapping from side to side at odds with his brazen behaviour.

"_Stupefy_!" he proclaimed, waving his wand.

Harry blinked. Severus blinked, Harry blinked, and Severus sighed and tried anew. "_Tarantallegra!_"

Harry did a few dance steps, ending with a bow before smirking back at his disgruntled teacher, though, once he realized what not being affected meant, he started pacing across the stone floor.

"Alright, last one. _Petrificus Totalus_." He was getting annoyed.

Harry didn't even stop his pacing to glare at Snape. The hem of his pants was being slowly shredded by his extended claws, but Harry was oblivious, muttering under his breath.

"Well, it is safe to conclude that you have gained some sort of immunity to detaining spells. And a great weakness to stroking, unfortunately." Snape returned his wand to a pocket of his robe, glaring down at the kitten child that looked and acted too much like his father for his liking. He was going to need a good hard spirit once Potter was out of his hair for a few hours. "We will have to test other curses and hexes later, but we will do that once you return here after dinner. We will see if you're still able to throw the effects of the Imperius Curse, and test your Occlumency. I hope you _did_ work on your Occlumency?"

Harry obediently nodded. Snape nodded, too drained to continue casting spells _at_ Potter for the moment.

"Let's see about charms. Try to Accio a book, any book from the bookshelves."

A few minutes stretched, Harry doing nothing more than knotting his fingers, his head bowed so that his teacher couldn't see his smirk. Snape frowned.

"Today would be nice, Potter, but do try to warn me so that I can clear my schedule to see you try once you get an inkling as to the date when you'd like to do it."

'_Plan 'Annoy Snape and Get Back at Him for the Scratching' starting now, everybody is requested to dive into the nearest shelter, due to pending Snaplosion._'

He muttered something into his whiskers just loud enough for his Potions teacher to hear.

"I'm not sure I understood that, Potter. Do try to mew louder next time," he growled.

'_That's another thing, how on earth can I understand him?'_

Harry repeated himself, even managing to blush convincingly, ducking his head again to hide his quivering lips, as he spied Snape's expression, a mix between horrified incredulity and the want to bang his head against the wall.

"Potter." Snape's voice was calm and sharp like a winter wind. However, Harry noticed the pleasantly thick vein pulsing in his forehead. "I do not care in the slightest that my books smell good to you. You will not, under any circumstances, chew on their spines or use them as scratching posts. Do I make myself clear? Now, Accio the book whose title is Ten variations of each potion using beetroot as a base by Gardenus Topsham."

Harry roamed his eyes for a few seconds on the spines of his Snape's books, repressing a smirk when he came across Famous Slytherins through the ages. He jumped in happiness when he found the book Snape mentioned, extended his wand hand and mewed a command.

He nearly got smacked in the face by the fast-flying book. He clutched it happily against his chest, his arms protectively around it.

'_I love you leather, oh yes I do! I don't love anything as much as you! If it ain't leather, I'm blue, oh leather I love you!'_ Harry sang in his head.

He sighed deeply and he rubbed his cheek against the smooth cover before bringing it to his nose and inhaling happily the scent of the old tome.

"Potter, now that we have established that you indeed are capable of doing magic despite having absorbed your wand, would you be kind enough to give me my book back, so that we can continue these tests some time before dinner?" Snape's vein grew as he tried not to snatch the book out of the kitten's hands.

Harry hissed and batted at Snape's extended hand, tightening his hold on the book and glaring at his teacher over it. Said teacher sighed and pinched the base of his nose.

'_Must ... not ... kill ... student ...'_

"All right, Potter. You may keep the book, but if it is damaged in any way, you will reimburse me till the last sickle. With a lot of chance, reading it may be beneficial for you." Severus's voice was constrained; he _tried_ to remember that Harry had been through a lot today, that he had baser instincts his mind and body demanded he adhere to ... but it was so hard not to curse the little brat!

Harry nodded happily, bounding in place. His smile gave Snape a clear view of all his teeth, the canines now elongated and pointier.

'_Lovely, the brat has fangs._'

"Great, not only did you turn into half a cat, but you are also a leather addict. At least, I hope it is leather and not the glue used into the binding... Wonderful, all the Dark Lord will have to do is hand you a book and scratch you behind the ears...," he muttered darkly to himself.

He stopped as he noticed that Harry was in no way listening to him but rather sniffing at the book with a smug smile.

"Potter!" he hollered, acquiring his student's wayward attention. "Do you, by some miracle, have any idea why you were able to Accio the book?" Harry nodded so excitedly Severus was sure his head was going to come off. He arched an eyebrow. "So, pray tell, explain."

After a few minutes of listening to Harry, Snape was impressed, not that he would show the little cat-brat, but he was still impressed.

"So, it seems that there is still hope for you, Potter. Mind you, not much as it is your fifth year..." He hastened to go on, after seeing Harry's thunderous expression. "Well, you are right, magic works with will and intent. The more focus you have the stronger your spell will be. And yes, Latin is used worldwide to standardize pronunciation and avoid mispronunciation. Two points to Gryffindor for showing, at least, some brains."

The left corner of his mouth quivered up at the sight of Harry's incredulous expression.

"As I am sure you have no desire to spend all day with me – and nor do I with you – let's move onto Transfiguration."

Spying Harry's eyes glinting with mischief, Severus hastened to dot Harry's i's.

"No, Mister Potter, you will not transfigure my couch into a broom. Nor will you change the decor. Transfigure the armchair into a rocking chair."

A few minutes of concentration, some more for the finishing touches and Harry stepped back from his work, smirking under his whiskers. He glanced at Snape and would have meowed in glee, as the vein got bigger.

"Potter," Snape drawled, sounding incredulous, "I would suggest you run...quickly."

Harry took off, giggling, the book secure in his arms and his bells jingling madly.

Snape glanced once more at the monstrosity decorated with, for an unknown reason, fishes riding brooms and extending small fins to catch swimming snitches which had replaced his favourite armchair. With a shudder, he transfigured it back and swept into the corridor, following the sound of bells when he realized the little horror still had his book.

He had not walked far when he encountered the Headmaster, who latched onto him as if Severus was the only person able to make sense of Harry's behaviour. Albus took note of Severus's pulsing vein and started to walk arm-in-arm with him towards the classroom.

"Ah, Severus, my boy, here you are. I trust all is well with young Harry?"

"Yes, he is perfectly able to do charms and transfigurations. He seems immune to detaining charms. I will test him this evening to see about Occlumency and Imperio."

"Good, good. He seemed quite ... hyper, when I met him, do you happen to know why?"

"Well, as I explained yesterday, he now has feline instincts superseding his human ones," Severus growled.

'_And the more we continue this inane talking the farther I am from my book.'_

"Can you explain that, I'm not sure I understand...?"

"Now is not the time, Albus," Snape drawled as he tried to remove his arm from Dumbledore's grip.

"Why? Oh, and can you understand him? He was agitated and couldn't stop mewing, but when I told him I couldn't understand him, he squealed, and batted at my hat. I took it off to show it to him, and see..."

Dumbledore showed Severus his brown hat, which was now sporting quite a few scratches and a looped end. One of the yellow leather stars that had been sown on it was missing.

"Leather addict," Severus muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"What was that, Severus?"

"Nothing. Of course I can understand him, though I don't know why or if I'm the only one. Now, if you don't mind, could you tell me where he went?" Though, he had a sneaking suspicion it was towards the Great Hall. They would just be ending breakfast, and while Harry had already eaten, he seemed to need to eat more.

'_That boy's going to turn into a fat cat._'

"Well, he suddenly seemed quite focussed, and quite happy. He took off towards the Great Hall."

"I hope he remembers that he is not allowed to jump on House Elves. Now, if you will excuse me, I'll take my leave."

Snape extracted his arm and he quickly strode in the direction of the Great Hall where enthusiastic mewls could be heard, interspaced with the laughter of a few students who had stopped on their way to their next classroom to look at the spectacle Harry made of himself.

He reached the double doors and rubbed his temple with one hand while the other pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked up. Snape shook his head as he saw what was amusing the students.

Harry was on his back atop a table (the Slytherin table by the looks of it), the leather star he had pilfered from the Headmaster's hat clutched between the claws of his four paws while he nibbled it. He suddenly tugged too hard with his feet, making the star fly from his mouth and land at some distance on the floor. Rolling onto his feet, Potter jumped on it before resuming his previous position and occupation.

The students left as soon as they caught sight of the Potions professor's expression. With a happy meow, Harry noticed Severus and more importantly, his robe. Harry jumped to his feet and squatted in front of Snape, batting once again at the loose thread.

'_Don't kill the cat. Do. Not. Kill. The. Cat.'_

"Potter, I suggest you stop this infantile behaviour at once if you do not wish to spend the next two years after graduation in detention."

Harry sat back on the floor, looking properly chastised, but a suspicious shake of his shoulder indicated that laughter was not far away. However, Harry quickly tuned Snape's ranting out and inched his way carefully around the man, trying not to be seen by his prey before he pounced. After all, it wouldn't do for the principal beneficiary of his little show to miss the next episode, now would it?

Rolling his eyes and smirking, Snape let him have his fun. He might as well use Harry's cooperation. So it was how an unsuspecting Draco was ambushed by the most unlikely of team as he was waiting next to his teacher in the hope he could speak with him. Snape arched an eyebrow at the undignified squawk Draco made when Harry jumped him, bringing Draco flat on the floor and mussing his perfectly combed hair with both paws cheerfully.

"Mister Malfoy, what is your problem?" Snape asked, trying to stop his smirk; after all, it was so hard to catch a Malfoy in an undignified position.

"Professor! Can't you stop Potter?" Draco desperately tried to catch Harry's wrist and failed as the little kitten was too fast.

"I could if I was in the mood to be clawed."

"Please!" Draco was near begging, and it was so tempting to Snape to see that he did.

"Unless... No, you would never do that." He pretended to consider. Really, it was just too rare an opportunity to miss.

"Unless what?" Draco's tone conveyed the urgency he felt at seeing Harry's claws from nearer than he would have liked.

"Meow!" Harry's tone was imperative.

"Alright! I switched the herbs! Now, stop him!" He blinked as he saw Harry, who went to seat calmly on the floor next to Snape and began to groom himself, seeming to be unconcerned by the happenings.

"Rest assured, Mister Malfoy, that I already knew that. In addition to a three roll essay on the stupidity to add random ingredients into potions without correctly researching the effects, you will be promoted to be Mister Potter's translator, as it seems that you can understand him."

'_This is just another mystery to solve about Potter's newest predicament.'_

"You will not leave his side for the duration of the classes. Mister Potter, I will be waiting for you after dinner for the rest of your tests. Now both of you run to your next class, unless you want to get a detention for being late?"

Finally, he would be getting some rest! Snape rubbed his temple. He was getting too old to take care of Potter's problems. With a swirl of his robes, he went out of the Great Hall and towards his office, only stopping to collect the book Harry had placed on the floor before his little show. At Harry's desolate mew, he smirked: Potter hadn't forgotten.

"Just another way to ensure myself that you will show up, Potter," he replied smoothly to Harry's pathetic attempt at stopping him.

He glided away, leaving two horrified boys behind, the flickering of Harry's tail promising nothing good for their next meeting.

As soon as he had strode around the corner of the corridor, Snape brought the book to his nose and inhaled deeply. Grumbling, he fought back his blush before rushing to his office, grateful that all students were in class.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess in the now defunct HarryxLucius group.

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French.

Beta : a huge thanks to Bleedingstargoddess, because of whom this story does look more understandable, and to Max82, who took over..

Thanks to all who reviewed, Kiramara,MissiYoung, Spinnerofdark, Jujube15, GothicAnn87, Asaake, Mystical Moonstar, Fire-Hawk-1986, Lishel Fracrium, Amanda Burke, Srreadsalot, and those I have missed.

Athenakitty : Lucius is going to pop in next chapter.

Justajester : Snape can understand him, it is Dumbledore who can't. Sorry if it wasn't clear.

Fire-Hawk-1986 : I had a dog, who liked to think himself a cat... My friend have this strange cat who act sometimes like a dog... But I am surrounded by cats, lots of my friends have one.

JuMiKu : Nope, no dirty thoughts... at first. I modeled Harry-cat after my friend's cat, who adores to play with those dog toys made of buffle leather to chew...Snape is not leather addicted, more like Potter addicted, but sush! It's a secret!

Neosilkdrake : yes, I know. To my great shame, I hadn't considered the 'parsel problem'... No can do for MacGonnagal, she's a Gryffindor, perhaps in her animagus form...

Harry's translated mewling, for the readers' comprehension is like this / mew/

Still here? On with the show!

**Chapter Four - Fish, Snakes, and Ghosts...oh my?**

After a few seconds of silent and horrified contemplation, when, for once, the two rivals were in complete agreement on the Snape case, Draco broke their eye contact, sighed and went to his feet. He extended his hand to Harry to help him up. The teen-cat not so discretely sniffed it before accepting it.

As soon as he was up, Harry began to groom his arms, as if they had been contaminated by Draco's single touch. All the while, his devious little mind was forming a new plan.

_Let's see how much it takes for Draco-poo to avoid disobeying a direct order from his favourite teacher._

With a smirk, carefully hidden by his whiskers, Harry turned and walked away from the Great Hall, Draco following without a word. It was only when Harry turned left instead of right that Draco began to fidget. It took him as long as being halfway to the Gryffindor Tower before he elegantly cleared his throat.

"Potter? This is not the way to Transfiguration."

/I know,/ Harry meowed in reply.

"Where are you going?"

/Gryffindor Tower./

"But, Professor Snape said..."  
Harry shrugged nonchalantly.

/Getting into classes without the proper material will without a doubt win us a detention, while getting late to make sure we have everything we'll need won't./

"Speak for yourself, McGonagall hates me..."

/But I do. Speak for myself, I mean,/ Harry snickered, though his voice held a warning tone within it.

Draco frowned but didn't want to encourage Potter's anger, so he wisely kept his peace as he spied Harry's unsheathed claws.

" Potter?"

" Miaw?"

_Strange,_ Draco thought, _I could almost swear he sounded gleeful_.

"I'll share, come on."

Harry turned his head to glance at Draco over his shoulder, his eyebrows rising towards his hairline. He turned fully and looked at the uncomfortable Draco right in the eyes.

/So, you'd go to sharing your supplies with me, of all people, to avoid disobeying a direct order from your favourite teacher...I'm flattered. Does this mean you'd obey me if I told you it is by Snape's orders?/

He snickered at Draco's flabbergasted expression before driving his claws in Draco's sleeve and tugging him through a shortcut he had learned from the Marauders' map.

/By the way,/ he warned Draco/as much as I think that that expression suits you, you might want to close your mouth, seeing as we're nearly there. Just thought I'd warn you./

Draco clamped his mouth shut with an audible click, biting back any retort he would have liked to throw at Harry.

"Just in time, Misters Potter and Malfoy, take your seats."

Still a little dazed, Draco remembered at the last moment that he had to sit near Harry. A few seconds before sitting into his chair, he pushed Harry's tail to the side, earning a pout and a sigh from said tail owner, who brightened soon enough and bent to whisper in his ear.

/I'll just have to find another occasion to scratch you./

Draco's thunderous expression didn't deter him in the least. Draco was about to let a harsh comment loose when he noticed the Transfiguration teacher stopping near their desks.

"Mister Potter, are you all right?"

Harry smiled widely at her and nodded eagerly.

"Mister Malfoy? May I ask why you are, of your own will, sitting near Mister Potter?"

Draco shrugged.

"Professor Snape has appointed me as his translator, as it seems that only he and I are able to decipher his mewing. But feel free to find a Gryffindor to replace me."

Harry turned sharply in his seat to face him before nearly hissing.

/If you didn't want to be in this situation, you should have thought before switching the herbs, don't you think?/

He winced and flattened his ears against his skull to try and provide some dampening from Pansy Parkinson's shrill voice as she barged into their conversation, her anger pushing her volume to near glass-shattering intensity.

"Liar! Draco would never do such a thing!"

/Apparently he did, or I would not be stuck into such a form. Even Snape thought him responsible, or he wouldn't have ordered him to be my translator.../

His voice trailed as a thought occurred to him. He sprang up and went to face the front of the class, much to the surprise of his Head of House and the whole student body. He looked at each student in turn, gulping when he came to the Slytherins and their distrustful and calculative airs.

/Okay, I'd like to do a little test. Although I feel like I don't need to fear the answer, or I might need to, for I know what it will be.../ Harry started, not really making any sense since the impending corroboration was about to upset his already rather ruined day.

"Potter! Stop rambling and get on with it, some of us would like to do some Transfiguration today!"

Harry's head whipped towards the one who had spoken – Blaise Zabini, a quiet and aloof Slytherin. Harry held his hands up.

/Alright, alright, hands up all the people that can understand me!/

Nobody moved. He nibbled on his lower lip as the students exchanged glances, wary between the Slytherins, and confused in the Gryffindor side of the classroom.

Draco sighed loudly.

"Oh, for Salazar Slytherin's sake! Just get on with his stupid half-brained idea or we'll still be here come lunch time!"

With a shrug, and nearly as one, the whole Slytherin population of the room obeyed their leader and put their hands up in the air. The Gryffindors just looked on the happenings, dumbstruck. Missing the translations, they just couldn't even begin to understand why the Slytherins would agree with Harry.

Sensing his knees going weak, Harry let himself fall into the teacher's chair and proceeded to bang his head on the desk.

/Wonderful/ _bang_ /Marvelous/ _bang_ /Frabjous/.

"Potter, would you stop doing that!"

/Why?/ Harry answered, his head lifting to the side on the desk so he could glare at the cause of this stupid development. /The only ones who can understand me are the Slytherins! The people most prone to deform my words!/

"Potter! Pull yourself together! I swear to you, on behalf of all members of my House, and by the memory of Salazar Slytherin himself, that whoever the Slytherin near you might be, he or she will repeat verbatim whatever you said. All right?"

Harry took a few seconds to consider before asking a question.

/Why are you so nice, suddenly?/

Draco rolled his eyes towards the heavens, but his answer was not what Harry had expected.

"You're freaking your housemates and teacher out!"

Harry grinned apologetically at his teacher and housemates before hurrying into his chair.

/That doesn't mean you are getting out of answering my question,/ he hissed at Draco before concentrating on McGonagall's lesson.

The second class they had this day was History of Magic. Harry, unaware of the looks his friends threw at him on the way there, was humming under his breath as he considered Draco's strange attitude during Transfiguration.

He frowned as he tried to find the hidden catch, or the prank waiting to be sprung on him. So enthralled was he in his cogitations, that he failed to notice he was walking right into the closed door.

Hermione's quick thinking was the only thing saving his nose from an encounter of the wooden type, as she grabbed onto his tail, tugging gently on it before releasing it, silently laughing at the green bow that held the bell; she wondered if Snape had tied it on so he'd always know when the little horror that was Cat-Harry was nearby.

Turning on his heels to confront his aggressor, he found himself face-to-face with a grinning Hermione.

"Whoa, Harry, sheathe those claws! I did it to get your attention, or did you suddenly develop the ability to walk through matter?"

Harry blinked as he noticed how close to the door he was, and, blushing, he grinned sheepishly before hugging Hermione tightly to express his thanks. Everybody entered and took a seat, making themselves as comfortable as they could in prevision of the nap.

Harry and Draco had, once again, sat side-by-side.

As usual, Binns flew in the classroom through the blackboard, never noticing the unusual and new seat arrangement of the two rivals (although the ghost never really noticed _anything_ save his notes, and Harry sometimes wondered if he had killed himself from the sheer boredom of his drone).

Harry blinked at the blank piece of parchment Draco thrust onto his desk, followed by a quill and inkwell as Binns began his lecture. A few minutes of bored stupor later, Harry began to bat unenthusiastically at Draco's quill each time it reached the end of a line, and thus his side.

"Potter, stop that, and take notes!"

Harry shot him a heated Death Glare.

/I **can't**. Actually, I can't even hold a quill. I somehow **lack** the right appendages to do it, though, knowing how unobservant you are, it is no wonder you missed this small detail,/ Harry hissed, violently ripping the quill out of Draco's hand and almost slamming it onto the desk. It woke a few of the students around them, who had been placed into a light snooze, but otherwise it went unnoticed.

Startled at the bitter tone and sudden action, Draco reached over and took Harry's paw into his hands. Mesmerized, he examined it and worked the wrist articulation, noting the absence of opposable thumb.

_Well hell._

Absentmindedly, he petted the dark fur, eliciting a purr from Harry. However, Harry snatched his hand away when he realized what Draco's stroking produced out of him.

"Well, do whatever it is you do during this lesson, but leave me in peace!" hissed Draco as he picked back up the quill.

Somehow, his faint blush was in total contradiction with his harsh words.

Shrugging and not really caring whatever phase Draco might be going through, Harry returned his attention to the ghost droning on about yet another goblin rebellion. He suddenly focused intently, a fantastic idea – at least according to him – having come to his mind.

His ears stood straight on his head; his tail lazily switched to-and-fro and screamed 'mischief in the making'. Slowly he slunk out of his chair and onto the floor, and he retracted his claws so the pads of his paws would be silent against the stone floor. Crouching on the floor, he carefully stalked towards his oblivious teacher, who continued to drone on and on about a war that no one except Hermione and Draco would remember once they left the class.

Slytherins or Gryffindors, all of the students stopped their chattering at the same time, some even going as far as waking their sleeping friends to let them witness what new prank the mischievous teen-cat was up to now. With a happy squeal as Harry reached his goal, he batted through his ghost teacher, sniggering as he watched his fur standing on end on the part that went through the ghost, contrasting wildly with the other follicles where the fur stayed flat.

_Strange_, he thought as he quickly licked his fur flat, _that my fur should be more manageable than my hair..._

With a wide smile, he hastily went through the whole scheme, adding a few mock jumps, thinking that the ghost really made the best sort of toy. He had the whole class into stitches by his play attacking of the rambling ghost by the middle of the class, even using his claws as a fake sword to mime the action Binns was describing.

Even Hermione and Draco, the only students assiduous enough to take notes, couldn't hide a smile, even as they tried to go back to being studious and upholding students of their houses.

Binns never noticed Harry's disrespectful behaviour and finished his lecture as he would any other time; Harry skilfully went back onto all fours and slinked back to his seat. The ghost professor released the now wide-awake class and Harry rushed out, happy that his idea had gone so well. He didn't notice that most of the Gryffindors had followed. But the Gryffindors were going to see to it that Harry knew how brilliant they thought the stunt was and so they congregated outside and around to congratulate Harry. However, Harry's cat instincts went on full alert – he was surrounded with no escape. He bristled and hissed, barring his fangs.

Some of his housemates backed up, surprised and shocked. But Ron, his ever faithful best friend stepped forward with his arms open and a huge smile on his face.

"Harry, mate, that was fantastic! Bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, laughing, as he slapped him on the back. Harry jumped at the sudden contact, but when he realized that they weren't angry, he retracted his claws and his tail slowed to a lazy swing.

"For once, History of Magic wasn't boring, and it is all due to you, thanks Harry!" beamed Seamus.

Neville smiled shyly at Harry in thanks, while Hermione whispered to him.

"Don't worry, I'll give you a copy of my notes."

Harry, moved, gulped a little and cursed his inability to form understandable words in his current form. Refusing to ask a Slytherin for help, he resorted to hugging Hermione to express his thanks. She rubbed his back, making him arch into the caress, to the great delight of the Gryffindors. The only black point was Draco Malfoy, who was standing a little bit to the side, his face pinched into an expression of disgust.

"Potter, that was really childish. Not that I'm surprised, after all it's you we're talking about."

Harry's smile was strained, and, ignoring his protesting friends, he went to confront Draco. His shoulders shifted from side-to-side and his hips swayed like a snake. Harry walked like sin cattified and Draco gulped as said sin came closer and closer, and he couldn't bring himself to back up or turn away. Harry planted himself right under Draco's nose, one paw on his hip, the other he waved under Draco's nose in a 'no-no' motion.

/Ah, but there is a good point to this fucked-up situation,/ Harry whispered, the sound almost coming out like a moan as he rubbed his hip along Draco's thigh, and Draco shivered in pure want for the creature of lust against him. All thoughts of who it was, what it was, and how it came to be left his mind as Potter licked his jaw. The Gryffindors watched both in disgust and amusement as Draco made an utter fool of himself trying to restrain himself as Harry's paw on his hip trailed lower towards his thigh.

/I can be as childish as I want and blame it all on the feline instincts the potion _**you**_ wrecked gave me. So, basically, it's **all** your fault!/ Harry finished by pushing Draco up against the wall, his voice ending in a growl and a hiss.

But Harry still gave a real smile, exhibiting his sharpened teeth as his slit eyes gave out a harsher glow. Draco gulped before he realized who stood before him, and then he scrunched his face up and pushed himself off the wall before storming in the direction of the Great Hall without looking back.

Laughing, Ron put his arm around Harry's shoulder and gave him a small hug, mimicking Draco's face as he left hurriedly to the great joy of the male Gryffindors present. Hermione just rolled her eyes at their antics, for once not chastising them. She suddenly started to mutter under her breath and ran in the direction of the library.

The others all let her go, knowing that her quest for knowledge came before her quest for food (though none of the boys agreed with her on that view), and they all walked towards the Great Hall; Ron refused to remove his arm around Harry, and Seamus and Dean formed a sort of barrier around him as they passed the other students.

They reached the Great Hall, Harry's stomach making itself known after the little Binns stunt. But he felt it then: the eyes … so many were on him. He had forgotten that he had been late to breakfast, so it was just now that the entirety of the student body could see him as he was now.

He heard them, the rumours, the whispers, the wondering. He bowed his head and Ron growled as he glared at everyone and anyone who tried to come towards them. His stomach went silent – he wasn't that hungry anymore; maybe he should just leave, go find a nice sunny spot outside to nap in. But Ron, always supporting, led Harry towards their House table, tightening his hold around the cat-boy's shoulders.

Harry sat with a sigh between Ron and Seamus. All the way in, he had kept his eyes down, not wanting to cross eyes with the others students, not wanting to see what questions, disgust, or pity would show on their faces. Hermione joined them a little later, putting her heavier bag on the floor near her with a relieved sigh that stopped in her throat when she saw Harry, and like Ron she started glaring at the other students. She then cleared her throat, trying to act as normal as possible.

"I borrowed some books on Animagi and some on the Animalia Revelae potion. We'll go through them this weekend, there might be a solution inside."

Harry's head snapped up, and he looked at her bright eyes and cheeks flushed with excitement, and he nodded and shrugged, not wanting to curb her enthusiasm.

_After all, what is the possibility that Snape, who is recognized as the highest authority on Potions in all England, made a mistake or ignored something pertaining to a potion? Less than nil. Don't get your hopes high, Harry, the fall will only be harder._

But he'd let the smartest witch in Hogwarts feel like she was helping. He settled his chin on his crossed arms and grinned at Hermione, who was happily chatting Ron's ears off about the books she had just borrowed. Both of them were trying so hard to act as if nothing had happened for him, and he was grateful once again that he had such fantastic people at his side.

_But this is how Hermione deals with unfamiliar things, research and study...Indicating that I am less than confident in her ability to find a solution would undermine not only Hermione's confidence but also Ron's. And that is not a thing I want to do. Let them learn the truth from Dumbledore and let them resent Snape for his inability to find a solution and Malfoy for creating this mess. I don't need them to be at odds with me_.

He blinked as he surveyed the room, noting the unashamed staring of the younger years of all Houses, the whispered conversations going on at the Ravenclaw table, interspersed with glances thrown in his direction, and the pointing.

But what did amuse him was the sight of Draco Malfoy making his report to Snape, who looked more and more sullen by the minute, before separating to join his housemates at the Slytherin table. Harry frowned slightly as he witnessed Draco having small hushed conversations with the Slytherin prefects and two students of each year, all of them turning to throw him quick glances. Ron's angry shout brought his wandering attention back to his own table.

"Look, Harry, the whole snake House is preparing something! I bet they plan to attack you! Do you want some help in hexing those snobbish prats? It's a shame you had to save ferret-face, it would be fun seeing him running around all furry instead of you!"

Harry shook his head, trying not to get as paranoid as he'd like to at the thought of the snake den planning something centred around him.

_Always the same old Ron, all he's interested in is hexing some Slytherins, or if he can't, pummel them bloody. And if all fails, start a fight..._ Harry thought with a slight smile, Ron's quick-to-anger attitude ridding him of some of his fears.

His introspective time was cut short by a flash and an excited shrill voice. "Harry! Poor you, it must be horrible being stuck like this! And all because of those awful Slytherins! Are those real whiskers? Can I touch them? Please, Harry!" Colin Creevey had arrived.

Blinking the residual flashes out of his eyes, Harry snarled his refusal, his tail whipping angrily back and forth, the jingles themselves sounding angry. How dare the little brat think that this was some sort of joke! He might be stuck like this even after he had found his soul mate! And the little prick was taking pictures!

Hermione, who had recognized the signs of feline ire, leapt from her bench and manhandled the tiny Creevey behind herself.

_Brave Hermione, so dealing with her bad tempered excuse for a cat is useful..._ Harry's lips quivered upside into a fragile smile as he took several deep breaths. Colin was not being any different; he was always taking pictures, and this time was no different.

Colin took advantage of his distraction to flee into the seat his friends had saved him.

Dumbledore stood up and rung his fork on his glass to obtain the silence that the Great Hall full of students would need.

"Students, settle down!" When the twinkle in his eyes intensified enough to resemble a Muggle stroboscope, Harry winced. Not that he was the only one, he noticed, as he spied his Potions Master's disgusted grimace. Dumbledore breathed deeply before going on.

"As you may have noticed, Mister Harry Potter had a slight problem in Potions yesterday, and is now stuck into this feline form for an unforeseeable amount of time, if not forever."

Harry rolled his eyes and gulped when he saw the looks the Ravenclaws shared.

_Great, now I am their next pet project, thank you so much, Dumbledore!_

"It has been discovered that, for a reason unknown, only the Slytherins are able to understand him. Thus, Mister Malfoy has been appointed as his translator for the duration of Harry's slight problem."

Ron couldn't contain his anger any more.

"It's because it was Malfoy's fault! He sabotaged their potion!"

Harry whimpered and flattened his ears on his skull, covering them with his paws for good measure, to try to dampen some of the uproar that erupted after Ron's comment. The Headmaster didn't wait for the volume to die down before roaring, "Silence!"

Once the majority of the students had stopped speaking, he continued his discourse.

"It has been brought to my attention that, although able to do magic, Harry Potter can't hold a quill. Thus, he will be allowed a dictaquill. I think it would be best that Harry be moved to the Slytherin dormitory, so he can have access to a translator any time he might need it.

And no, Mister Weasley, Harry will not be in danger, the whole Slytherin House have already sworn on their Founder's name not to attack him as long as he is a host of their House.

Besides, Professor Snape should be able to administer the cure quicker if he knows with certainty where to find Harry.

Enjoy your lunches!"

Paws still firmly in place on his ears to block most of the outbursts, Harry mulled over the Headmaster's speech. Harry sputtered and just pressed his ears harder against his head trying to forget the world around him and praying to whatever deity would listen to block out the sound and outbursts.

_Is he doing it on purpose? What is he on! Worded like this, it is no wonder that the Gryffindors took offence. They didn't even have the possibility to take the same oath... Of course, he will defend his position by saying that Snape is the likeliest to help me, and will be needing me on hand to try any new antidote he would come with... Well, no need to be a Legilimens to discover where the grimace came from! This isn't fair! Ah, Merlin, it's too loud to think!_

_Maybe my new ability to resist detaining spells may have something to do with his decision. Who knows, maybe there's a shield coming with this kit. Oh please let there be! I don't think I can survive in the snake den if there isn't! But dear Merlin he's making this impossible for me! Oh goddess of all things leather and tassel, make the noise stop!_

Ron shaking him snapped him out of his trance, but it was one Harry didn't want to be taken out of as the full blast of the noise hit his ears.

"Say something, Harry, you can't be happy with the Headmaster's decision!"

"Miaow!" Harry replied pathetically, his paws still on his ears.

_Too much sound! TOO MUCH SOUND!_

The clang of Dumbledore's glass returned and the blessed silence fell once more over the hall.

"That is enough, decisions have been made for the best, and there is nothing that will change that, so I suggest we go back to lunch." Albus sat back down.

Harry didn't even bother trying to convey his feelings on the matter to his clueless friend and proceeded to sulk. After refusing to even acknowledge Ron's attempts to speak with him, he was left in peace to enjoy what he could of lunch, his stomach once more making itself known now that the ringing in his ears had died down.

Blocking carefully his goblet with both his paws, he lifted it to his nose and smiled happily when he noticed that it was full of milk and not pumpkin juice. He gulped it down and began to purr in contentment. The warm milk pooled in his complaining stomach, sating it for just a bit. All troubles could wait, for nothing should ruin good milk and cream.

He took interest in the food, stabbing an appetizing fish with his oh-so-useful claws, and proceeded to eat it in small mouthfuls, seemingly unaware of the cooing of his female Gryffindor year mates, so deep he was into his food-induced bliss.

/Oh so soon you'll be in my tummy, for you're so very yummy, I love you fishy, you're my favourite dishy!/ he sang after each mouthful of fish.

The Slytherins were too far away (thankfully) to hear his fish song to the great goddess of all yummy fishes.

Finished with it, he let the fish bones fall to his plate with a 'clack, clink, click' that he purred at, and he put himself eye-to-eye with the last part of his meal – the head – before devouring it. He didn't even acknowledge the gasps of disgust coming from the nearest students.

_Mwahaha! You are mine, little fishy head! Cower in fishy fear at my awesome teeth!_ Harry was almost tempted to actually laugh as he swallowed the last piece of the heaven-sent meal.

Once done, he licked his claws clean and then his arms and whiskers.

Soon the meal would be over, all that was left was...

He squealed happily, as dessert appeared.

His was specially made for him, courtesy of Dobby the house-elf. A delicious-looking light sponge cake, raspberry flavoured, backed in the form of a sitting mouse and covered with raspberry sauce. He climbed to squat on the bench, his tail waving lazily back and forth.

With a mew of challenge and a wide sweep of his arm, he clawed the innocent and unsuspecting pastry and savagely bit its head off. The cake was soon completely gone. Keeping his plate in place by means of one of his paws, Harry licked it clean of the raspberry sauce and any lingering crumbs.

'_Meal 0/ Me 3! Thank you, oh mighty goddess of fishies and goddess of mousies for this delicious meal that I have devoured!'_

Done, he began a full cleaning session (as was only proper in homage to the goddesses), first the paws, then the ears and whiskers, to end with a lick around his lips. However, the sighs of delight from his female housemates and year mates went unheard as they continued to coo and awe at Harry cleaning his fur. He ended by another milk goblet before redoing his paws and whiskers and purring in food-induced ecstasy loud enough for everybody to hear.

The goddesses apparently loved him, and so he purred out his joy for the meal, resting his head on his arms. Now he just needed a nice nap, or maybe a catnip toy. He was so high on the cloud nine of fish and mice that nothing could bring him down.

Even Draco's arrival to take him to their double period of Care of Magical Creatures did nothing to dampen his good mood.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French.

Beta : a huge thanks to Bleedingstargoddess, because of whom this story does look more understandable, and to Max82, who took over...

All praises to the godesses are Bleeding Star Goddess'.

Still here? On with the show!

Chapter 5 – Enter Lucius – stage complete

While his son was discovering –to his great horror– what Harry's new situation entailed, Lucius himself was having a bad day. Not of the magnitude of his son's. Yet. He had woken up with his feet ice cold, due to his wife hogging all the covers. The rarity of this situation was because he had let his wife sleep with him, for once. He hadn't been able to feel anything in his feet before a good half hour, and then it was followed by ten minutes of the most peculiar tingling sensation.

Going to the bathroom to complete his morning ablutions, he discovered what he thought to be a white hair at first sight and proved to be a trick of the light – once he had plucked it, of course. Then, there was this thrice cursed tuft in his mane, forcing him to wear his hair in a low ponytail to hide it, which didn't help with the headache he was beginning to feel.

The fist he used to end his mirror's usual taunting was now sporting a deep scratch right in the middle of his index jointure and thus hurting each time he extended or flexed his finger. And the mirror, a familial inheritance hexed with the charming personality of his 'favourite' aunt, repaired itself immediately. It was one of those objects not only highly annoying but also impossible to 'lose'. Lucius had tried selling it, locking it into the deepest dungeon of Malfoy manor, even smuggling it into some Muggle home. The mirror was always back to its spot the next day to vex him.

His mood was a little bit improved as he bitched around the house-elves about his coffee being cold, the toast overcooked, the eggs not fried enough ... All in all, he did everything it took to send the poor helpless house-elves into a dazed frenzy to the point they didn't even know if they were to go and punish themselves or comply with his orders.

The first page of the Daily Prophet reported a Death Eater failed raid, which had cost him to be under the Cruciatus for five minutes the day before and made his eyes shine with the icy promise of not only magical but also physical pain to anyone foolish enough to cross his path without the proper show of submission.

By mid morning, he had already cast Incendio on two of Fudge's files, and Silencio on Narcissa as she came to him to whine that he was not giving her enough attention or such nonsense. The house-elves were wisely avoiding his office since one of them nearly had its head removed as it had peeked inside to inform him of something he hadn't even bothered to listen to. He was frowning at nothing, sat at his desk, a foreboding feeling at the back of his mind.

This day was 'so' perfect that something bad was forced to happen, something like Armageddon ... Or Potter taking over the wizarding world. Lucius shook his head; he should really stop working so much. But this premonition of doom was nagging him more and more, and Lucius mused on the fact that it was bound to become worst before improving. Or not improve at all.

He jumped slightly when the Dark Mark burned into his arm flared to life. He should have known; this was, after all, the perfect epitome of his perfect day. He smirked coldly at the perspective of being able to release a part of his frustrations by torturing a few Muggles.

He quickly donned his Death Eater attire, annoyed all the while when the cut on his finger throbbed in time with his heartbeat. He disappeared from the Manor, not bothering to warn Narcissa –she needn't know anyways. He flinched under his white mask, unbeknown to his fellow Death Eaters, as he noticed his place of arrival.

'Wonderful, a cold, damp and dark dungeon. That is so cliché. Not to say what it will do to my hair'

Shutting that train of thought down, he hastened to take his place in the Inner Circle, frowning a little as he noticed the snake-like creature that was the Dark Lord on his throne, which seemed to be made of a bone-like matter. Voldemort seemed to slither in place.

"_Lu-ci-us…_"

The Malfoy Lord rushed to kneel at his Master's knees and kissed the hem of his robes. He waited in silence for his Master to speak his mind.

"_I had a dream, Lu-ci-us..._" The snake-like creature hissed his name, putting a special emphasis on the sibilant sounds, making Lucius wince under his mask at this proximity to parseltongue.

Déjà vu, or more accurately, déjà heard. Wasn't it part of Voldemort's recruiting spiel? Lucius remembered it, the powerful wizard discoursing about his dream of a pureblooded world with enthusiasm…

Lucius slithered into the recesses of his mind before flinching, waiting for the unavoidable Cruciatus curse … that never came. That in itself was a source of confusion for Lucius. He blinked, bringing his mind back to the here and now, doing his best to appear concentrated and ready to drink in his Master's words.

"_I had the weirdest dream yesterday, as I was concentrated on Potter. It began simple and agreeably enough: the thrice damned brat was screaming in the most harmonious tones, his face contorting in the most fetching grimaces of pain._"

He pouted, making the whole lot of the Death Eaters, who had witnessed and caused some of the most gruesome scenes of torture and death since the first man to wield a weapon, to shiver in fright.

"_But then, everything went black. Afterwards, it was a kaleidoscope of sounds and images – a Potions book, a broom, a cooked fish, your son's surprised face_ –" He looked accusingly at Lucius before going on. "_All intermingled with the sounds of small bells... So I want you, Lu-ci-us, to go to Hogwarts and investigate. I'm sure something happened to our little _friend_ Potter_." He spat the name as if it was some foul and squashy worm he had stumbled upon while savouring a dozen of oysters.

He extended jerkily his arm towards Lucius's robes, as if he wanted to bat at his sleeve. As soon as he was aware of what he had been doing, he snarled, glared at Lucius as if it was somehow his fault, and used his momentum to tear his wand from its hiding place under his sleeve. If Lucius had noticed his strange behaviour, he didn't give signs of it.

He put Lucius under the Cruciatus, garnet eyes gleaming with both lunacy and knowledge. Lucius's whole body locked his muscles in tension; he barely had time to retreat to his walls in his mind for protection. He trembled in great waves beginning at his head and flowing through the length of his body to stop at his toes.

Lucius bit his tongue; the sharp metallic taste of blood filled his mouth and slid down his throat as he held onto his pride and refused to scream for the monster of a man before him. He clenched his eyes and willed himself to take deep breaths even while his body contorted and twisted in ways it wasn't meant to.

Lucius's fists clenched and his nails bit into his palms; blood pooled in his hands and leaked onto the floors.

No one would help, for no one could help, and Lucius didn't want their assistance anyways; he was quite capable and it was an unwritten rule among the Death Eaters not to help. It was a sign of weakness, something that would make them not acknowledge his strength and power.

Voldemort watched Lucius twist and squirm on the floor with a revolting distortion of a smile. Such pride the Malfoy Lord held, such control. And Voldemort always had to tear that control from him, teach Lucius his proper place, which was at his feet gazing up at him. Lucius was such a proud man, proud of his heritage, his power, his son. The Dark Lord had to tear him down, make him cry out and prove to the blonde aristocrat that he was still a servant, a follower, despite all his standing. He would never drive Lucius to madness, no, he couldn't lose a mind and a magic source like Malfoy to such a simple thing as insanity.

Lucius's barriers would yield soon enough; none of his followers was strong enough to withstand it much longer than Lucius did.

Voldemort only lifted the curse when he heard what he had been waiting for from his proud Death Eater – the small whimper Lucius released unbidden from between his bloodied and bitten lips and over his abused tongue.

To avoid embarrassing himself even further, Lucius kept his eyes on his broken mask as he tried to hush the hitch his respiration had taken at the end of his inhalations. He also decided to wait out the muscular spasms that were wracking his body as he lay sprawled on the floor.

He concentrated on a small spider crawling near the Dark Lord's throne to avoid looking at the Dark Lord's face, knowing he would bear a smug air, forcing Lucius to retaliate, driving him to a painful death.

Voldemort had, after all, managed to make Lucius whimper, however small a sound it had been, gaining a point in their small war of pride. Lucius slowly climbed to his feet when he felt enough strength return to his body, keeping his muscles tense to avoid shaking with the aftermath of the Cruciatus.

"_As Se-ve-rus couldn't be with us tonight because of his duties, and given that Fudge was benevolent enough to reinstate you as part of the board of governors..._

He trailed on purposeenjoying the memory he knew his words would bring into Lucius's mind. Enjoying how the old wizard had snorted as he saw Lucius sitting amongst the other governors. Enjoying how the Headmaster had stopped at Lucius's chair on his way to his own to murmur "I see that money has its purpose... And you know how to use yours so well. Given Fudge's gullibility and greed it is surprising it took you three years to achieve your return... Or were you in probation? It's only natural for your Master to send his pawn if he can't slither in himself. You can tell your Master that I will keep an eye on you."

The memory ended in a white flash of rage as Lucius, hindered by the presence of so many witnesses, could only seethe and grit his teeth.

Smirking as Lucius's jaw tightened in reminiscence, the Dark Lord went back to the subject of this meeting. "_ I have no other choice, Lu-ci-us, but to send you to Hogwarts. You'll have to manage on your own to find what happened to the Boy-Who-Lived, soon to be Boy-Who-Died. Go now, I expect your first report next week. You're dismissed."_

Lucius bowed stiffly, repressing a flinch now that his mask couldn't hide it. He strode towards the exit, pausing once the door was closed to slam a fist into the stone wall in anger. This only gained him a few more bruises. He struck it one more time as he heard the screams beginning in the room he had just exited from, indicating that the torture of the Muggle prisoners had begun.

He seethed for a few seconds, reflecting on his inability to refrain from whimpering. How could he have given that inhuman monster the satisfaction to hear him whimper! At least he might have the chance to play with Potter a little to nurse his bruised pride...

He stormed home, sent a satisfying itching curse to stop Narcissa's whining, and hurried to his bathroom. He divested himself of all his clothes, ignoring his mirror's comments on his physic. He regretfully burned them to avoid any nasty surprises his jealous Death Eater colleagues may have left him. It had become a habit of his since he had once been hit by a timed stomach-turning hex Bellatrix Lestrange had hidden in his trousers.

He then immerged himself in a nearly scalding bath to get rid of the grim of the Dark Lord's lair's floor, as well as the clammy freezing air that seemed to always cling to him after a meeting. He was happily floating, thinking back on the meeting and planning ahead, when the strangeness of Voldemort's reactions struk him. The Dark Lord usually did not slither in place, and what was with the aborted gesture? Lucius stored those reflections to the back of his mind; now was the time to decide how he would handle his mission.

Once he felt warmed enough, he left his bath and dried himself. He was in a better mood as he had managed to get rid of the tuft by washing his hair. He re-dressed in his favourite riding pants and spent the afternoon riding in the Malfoy woods, planning his impromptu trip to Hogwarts. He decided to arrive a few minutes before the evening meal so that Dumbledore, being the old-fashioned wizard that he was, would feel obligated to abide by the old hospitality laws and keep Lucius to dinner and shelter him for the night.

He came back into as near a good mood as he could feel, given the circumstances, and watched as the elves packed him a trunk, going as far as 'helping' in his own way, zapping some elves from time to time with a burst of magic.

Once ready, he reduced the trunk, pocketed it and boarded his carriage, en route to Hogwarts. He occupied the ride by browsing over his extensive knowledge of curses and hexes, trying to find one he could use on the Potter runt without anybody noticing. He mentally compared the damages they could do – after all, it wouldn't do to have him so hurt that he would die before the Dark Lord was able to kill him. That would earn Lucius an extensive stay in the dungeons, plus a personal acquaintance with several torturing devices, curses and hexes.

Time passed so agreeably that he nearly regretted having reached his goal as he saw the silhouette of the castle looming on the horizon. He pouted before schooling his face into its well-known haughty and collected mask and descended his carriage to enter the school. He went straight to Dumbledore's office. He hadn't finished lowering his hand after knocking that he was already being whisked into the office. He blinked at how fast he found himself seated in a comfortable armchair, nursing a cup of tea in his hands. He recovered in time to refuse a lemon drop.

'The old man must be fairly bored.' He scowled.

"Ah, Lucius, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" The Headmaster twinkled so much Lucius nearly winced.

"The board of governors of the school sent me to make an inspection," Lucius informed him, glad he had thought to send an owl to the other governors before coming – well, at least to the only ones not being Death Eaters.

"I wasn't warned, Lucius, or did your owl get lost on its way here?" Dumbledore enquired.

"It wouldn't be a surprise inspection if you were forewarned, Albus," Lucius scathingly answered.

The old wizard didn't even seem to take notice of Lucius's tone, or even his rising anger. He only twinkled, which infuriated Lucius even more.

"And how long will you stay?"

"A week, maybe two."

"Will you dine with us, while I ask the house-elves to prepare you a room, near the Slytherin dormitories?"

"I will," Lucius agreed, thinking that after all he might be able to catch a sight of Potter at dinner.

"Good! I will let you get reacquainted with Hogwarts; your son should soon be back from his double lesson of Care of Magical Creatures." The smile Dumbledore sent him put Lucius ill at ease. The old fool was scheming.

Lucius knew when he had been dismissed and so put his still full cup of tea on Dumbledore's desk before leaving his seat and the office. He let his feet take him to the dungeons, where the entrance to the Slytherin dormitories was located. He refused some Slytherin second year's invitation to enter and retraced his steps to his old comrade's office.

He knocked and entered when bidden. He frowned as the first thing he noticed was an empty and apparently used glass near a two-thirds empty bottle of Firewhiskey, both relegated to the semi-darkness on a little tea trolley pushed against the wall behind Severus's desk. Severus's smooth voice broke his attention back to himself, and away from the bottle.

"What are you doing here?"

'Blunt, so like Severus,' Lucius mused and began with the pleasantries.

"Good day to you too. I see you've been drinking. Isn't it a little bit early in the evening for that?"

"I needed it. What are you doing here?"

Lucius decided to tease him a little.

"Can't I visit an old friend?"

Severus's raised eyebrow made it clear what the Potions Master thought of that. Lucius elegantly shrugged before launching into his explanations.

"The board of governors sent me to be sure that the lessons are up to par with Hogwarts' reputation of being the best school of wizardry in Europe."

Severus didn't deign to benefit this excuse with an answer and only took his wand to cast a silencing charm around them.

"Potter?" was his only word.

Lucius nodded and explained his mission. It was his turn to raise an eyebrow as Severus silently went to pour another glass and offered it to him, the left corner of his mouth quivering suspiciously.

"You'll need it," he warned Lucius.

Frowning a little, Lucius took the full glass before draining it quickly to follow Severus, who was already leaving his office in the direction of the Great Hall.

They were nearing the Great Hall when Severus suddenly stopped him, turning his head to eye Lucius, and before Lucius understood what was happening, he was manhandled into a deserted classroom before his robes were ripped open. The thought that this was some sick lover's tryst crossed Lucius's mind before he reminded himself that this was Snape, and Severus wasn't one for such hormonal bouts. However, Severus goggled at Lucius's pants for a few seconds before shaking his head.

'Should I warn him?' he mused. 'No, it will be funnier that way, and after witnessing Draco's experience with Harry-kitten, it might be fun to watch how he'll react. And it will give him a first-hand approach on the subject ... Potter might finally be useful.'

"What is your problem?" an affronted Lucius wanted to know.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Severus denied but couldn't hide the visible smirk.

They left the classroom and resumed their trek towards the Great Hall, Lucius casting some suspicious glances on Severus from time to time, but the professor never let him know he had noticed it. Suddenly, someone barrelled into Lucius, bringing him to the floor in an ungraceful lump, much to Severus's pleasure.

Said professor had jumped to the side to avoid being taken down with Lucius. He comfortably settled against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest to enjoy the show after having cast a few spells.

Harry had been coming back from dropping his bag into the Slytherin dorms after his lesson of Care of Magical Creatures, which he had spent napping, curled against the cat-like creature they were supposed to study, both purring loudly to Hagrid's greatest delight. He saw both of the older Slytherins walking in front of him and decided, at first, to slow down and let them enter the Great Hall first. His good resolution crumbled when he caught a whiff of Lucius Malfoy's pants, a single thought running into a circle into his brain – 'Leather ahead! Away boarders!' – and decided to pounce on the unsuspecting man, or more specifically, his pants.

He pouted when he noticed the Potions Master stepping to the side as soon as he had heard him coming, thanks to the jingles, which he had seemed to be waiting for. To avoid his prey doing the same and preventing him from having his fun, Harry put out a burst of speed. As soon as he had Lucius down, he mewled happily, as he rubbed his cheek on the leather-encased legs, nibbling delicately on the leather near the ankles, doing his best to be everywhere simultaneously to avoid being subdued by an irritated Lucius. All the while he purred like a truck motor and glared while he could at Severus, plotting his retaliation for his missed strike. Severus smirked at Draco when he settled next to him.

"Fun when you're not the recipient of the prank, isn't it?"

Draco nodded, his eyes glinting with the pleasure he felt at seeing his stern and strict father being brought down by a mere unarmed cat-boy.

"Should he do that?" he commented and pointed to where Harry was rubbing his chin on Lucius's hipbone, as Lucius had somehow managed to turn during Harry's assault and sit on Hogwarts' ice cold and dusty floor.

Harry, all to his leather high, was sprawled on his legs, trapping him to the floor, his arms around Lucius's waist ensuring that he was nearly un-removable. He was purring so much, one could think there were a lot more cats.

"Probably not, but since when has this stopped our resident celebrity?" Severus drawled.

Draco nodded, his arms crossed over his chest in an unconscious imitation of his Potions Professor's posture. Lucius finally managed to get a good grip on his nearly boneless 'aggressor' and frowned as two innocently blinking and glowing green eyes confronted him. Lucius was so shocked that he gasped, his mouth hanging open. He regained his wits when Harry began to bat at his hairs, purring anew as he passed his claws through a lock of hair he had captured, admiring how light played on it.

"Potter, what in Circe's name?" he grumbled, tearing his hair from the kitten's claws.

Harry pouted, disgruntled at having his toy taken away. He half-heartedly tried to get another lock of hair, pressing his chest against Lucius' own, unconcerned with what he was sitting on, his eyes half closed as he prepared to go to sleep.

Draco sighed.

"Thank Merlin for obscuring and silencing charms and thank you, Severus, for casting them and for letting me in as well."

He pushed himself from his relaxed posture against the wall and took a few steps in the Great Hall's direction.

"Potter," he called over his shoulder, "food!"

Harry, suddenly wide-awake, squealed happily and bounded after Draco, his jingles sounding in a rhythm resembling a snicker. Draco shrugged and followed the energetic cat-boy, as Severus helped a bewildered Lucius to his feet. Shrugging under Lucius's scathing glare, he explained.

"That was Potter, as a result of being drown in a failed Animalia Revelae potion, all thanks to Draco, who thought it would be a great prank to switch Instictis herbs with Veelanip. Thus, Potter is stuck like this till he finds his soul mate. Oh," he added with a smirk, "did I mention that he seems to have some sort of leather fetish?"

Lucius's legs gave way, sending him back to the floor he had just gotten up from; Severus merely smirked and let go of him, walking away. He glared at his friend's retreating back.

'I hope that all those years sucking lemon drops haven't altered your faculties too much, Albus, because revealing this to Lucius is as good as owling it to the Dark Lord...' Severus thought as he entered the Great Hall and spotted Potter sitting next to Draco at the Gryffindor table and hissing at said Slytherin, who was smirking and holding up a piece of fish above the cat-boy's head. Apparently, it was retaliation for being forced to seat at the Gryffindor table.

Lucius stood up, once again, in the corridor, put his mussed clothing back to its pre-Harry pristine appearance and stepped outside of the privacy bubble the spells had granted him. He clenched his teeth when he remembered what Severus had put him through, with his own son's complicity.

With a last sweep through his hair – a Malfoy could simply not be seen with a tangle – he stormed into the Great Hall and the staff table, dividing his glares equally between a smirking Severus, his paling son and a completely oblivious Harry-cat who, taking advantage of Draco's sudden inattention, had finally managed to catch his fish and was feasting on it with relish.

This night Severus, too, had a dream. It was more like a reminiscence, the return of an old event half forgotten. It began normally enough, him going to study in the library one last time before definitely leaving and finding James Potter nearly swamped with books. Sneaking nearer and noticing that all the books were on potions. All potions on the subject of pregnancy. Some on male pregnancy.

James, apparently not finding what he had been looking for, closed his book with a little gust of irritation and took another one. He suddenly sucked his breath in and read the page he was on three times in a row. Severus bent to read over his shoulder. James jumped when he began to talk.

"So, Potter, were you not warned that you had to study **before** the NEWTs? Been unfaithful to your little fiancée, lately?"

"Snape! Can't you produce a little more noise before you pounce on people? Give a warning?" James huffed. "Besides, it is not for me! See, I have this friend, my French pen pal, he has this boyfriend his parents disapprove of. He got pregnant and doesn't want to lose his kid to familial pressure."

Severus used this gap into James's deluge of words to intervene.

"So, his family paid you to poison him?"

"No! He asked me to look for a potion or charm to make an abortion impossible!"

Severus smirked.

"And, knowing how good you are in potions, he asked you?"

James blushed and began to crumble a piece of parchment near the books nervously.

"Well, he wanted me to ask you, but I told him that if I did you would refuse, or even worse, botch the potion on purpose..."

"Potter!"

"Yes?" nearly inaudible.

"First, I would never botch a potion on purpose. Secondly, I knew you were totally irresponsible, but not to the point of playing with your friend's life. Or are you Black in polyjuice?"

Severus's tone and glare were so intense that James was now blushing non-stop, nearly tearing the poor parchment to pieces.

"Besides, this potion won't work," Snape added, selecting another book, a heavy, dusty and collapsing tome. He carefully but efficiently flipped to a precise page before thrusting the book under James's nose.

"This one is known to be infallible. If you are still intent on going through this, come to the potions lab one hour after the beginning of the Leaving Feast."

He sighed before rescuing the little ball of parchment from James's hands. He frowned as his fingers brushed James's own, the slight contact sparkling something into his memory... Not wanting to analyze what it was, he hastily snatched the book and walked outside of the library...

His dream shifted and caused him to step right into the potions lab, where a nearly-besides-himself-with-nerves James was waiting for him. The potion-making went without a hitch, better than any potion they could have made when partnered together in class. Once it was done, Severus carefully tied it to James's owl's leg with James's letter before spraying a protection potion on it. James let the owl take its flight and turned to Severus.

"Thank you," he mumbled, hugging a paralyzed with shock Severus before fleeing through the lab's open door, face red with embarrassment.

The dream shifted to the students leaving for the summer holydays and, in the ruckus, a flash of James Potter bending down to pick an empty vial that had rolled out of his pocket as he had taken his handkerchief out.

Severus woke up, reflecting that the vial looked suspiciously like the one they had sent the potion in.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French.

Beta : Max82

Still here? On with the show!

Chapter 6 Waking up near you is always a pleasure.

Severus woke up, blinking rapidly to dissolve any lingering fragments of his odd dream. Though those images made no sense, at least to Severus's still foggy mind, they still held a sort of delicate nuance, differentiating them from a usual dream.

Sighing, Severus decided that analysing the hidden meaning of this dream would be better left off to his evening fire contemplation, accompanied with a glass of good old alcohol, as were all reminiscences of James Potter.

Besides, if he went on dwelling on this in the comfortable warmth of his bed, he might never get up in time for breakfast.

He regretfully sat in his bed before voluptuously stretching his upper body. Frowning, he listened intently before snarling. "Great," he mumbled, "I now suffer from auditory hallucinations, thanks to this cat-brat! I hear his purring, even in his absence!" He grumbled for a few seconds before brightening a tad and smirking. "Well, he is a Gryffindor, meaning I can take as many points I want from his House!"

This thought gave him the boost he needed to get out of his bed and shuffle in the damp chill of the dungeon in the direction of his shower. This morning seemed to be particularly difficult, he noticed. He tried to roll out of bed only to find he couldn't move as something was weighing his legs down.

Puzzled, he tried to flex them – thinking that he perhaps had put some pressure on them while sleeping, cutting his blood circulation – to no avail, as they wouldn't budge. Frowning, and still not all there, he slipped one of his hands under the blankets to make a little exploration. After a great expanse of his night dress, he finally encountered an oddity: hairs.

Emboldened by this success, with a little twist of his hand and a slight sweep to the right, he began to thread through the locks till he met an ear, a warm, furry, pointed ear...

He vaguely noticed an increase of the purring as he quietly scratched it, while trying to reconcile in his mind the notion of who he knew this intruder to be with the impossibility of **his **presence.

Shrugging once more, and telling himself he needed more proof, he let his wandering hand resume its exploratory quest and mapping of uncharted territory. Another sigh was wrenched from his lips as his hand met the ear's twin, squashed between what felt like a leather-bound book and its owner's head.

Swearing and grumbling alternatively, the Potions professor twisted on himself and extended his long right arm to light the candle on his night stand.

The sight he discovered as soon as he had ripped the covers squashed any attempt he might have made to verbally tear the imprudent boy to shreds. For there was the one and only half-human Boy-Who-Lived-To-Embarass-Him-Through-Hell-And-Back. He was curled tightly on himself to ward the sudden chill off, and laying like a dead weight on Severus's legs. But still peacefully sleeping. The boy's head was pillowed on what appeared to be Severus's copy of _Famous Slytherins through the Ages_, enraging Severus even further at the boy's audacity. How dare he plunder his professor's bookshelves and, more importantly, take advantage of unable-to-defend-themselves-due-to-sleep Potions Masters by crawling into their beds uninvited to pin them to the mattress?

Snape was gearing himself towards a great explosion, only to suddenly swallow his words before he could even begin to utter them. He had finally noticed Harry's paw in its resting place on his hipbone, claws sheathing and unsheathing in rhythm with Harry's purring, precariously near to a certain part of Severus that he was very fond of.

Well, even sarcastic and greasy gits do not look forward to this part of their anatomy being clawed off their bodies by a teen-cat startled into waking.

What was he going to do?

He tried wiggling his legs to buck Harry off, but Harry stayed obstinately in place, and appearing to weigh more and more ... Not to mention still deeply asleep.

Slowly, oh so slowly, Severus inched his hand closer and closer to Harry's offending paw. Nearly forgetting to breathe, he managed to grab Harry's wrist in his hand and lift the paw. Mesmerized, he spent a few seconds observing it under all angles.

Shaking his head in disgust at himself and ignoring the slight blush warming his face, he snorted. 'Great. I must remember to check the boy for attraction charms. I can't believe I was nearly fawning over the brat. It's Harry Bloody Potter, for love's sake!'

Still holding the paw, he dug with his free hand under Harry's chest. Managing a mix between a push and a roll he finally freed his legs. Wiggling around and grimacing as his body glided over cold sheets, he managed to sit on the edge of his bed.

Before long, he found himself looming over the inconsiderate cat-brat. He pondered his next course of action, shivering with the damp draught that permeated the dungeon's stone walls. Mumbling to himself, he decided to first warm himself up, as it seemed that this situation would not be solved anytime soon. He hurriedly stepped towards his dresser and grabbed his thick black housecoat. Putting it on, he sighed deeply with the pleasure of warming up. He liked this housecoat very much, as it enabled him to bask in what he called in his mind 'the after-sleep glow' where he was neither totally asleep nor awake, where the perspective of annoying students was not looming so near, as it did after breakfast.

He turned from his dresser to go back to his bed in order to poke the insufferable teen-cat awake with his wand for the safety of his fingers. He scowled and gasped with anger.

Now the thrice damned pest had condescended to move, after he'd made him do all those ridiculous contortions!

Still happily sleeping, or at least appearing to be, Harry had rolled to snuggle into Severus's body imprint, where his body warmth still lingered.

Nearly growling, Severus decided to bypass any diplomatic approach he might have considered and roared, "Potter!"

It was a disgruntled teen-cat that suddenly bolted upright, eyes snapping open.

"Would you care to explain what you are doing in my bed?" Severus's voice was low and spoke of points taken and gruesome detentions.

Harry shrugged. /I was cold/

Disbelieving the boy's nerve and needing time to try and calm himself enough not to harm the wizarding world's saviour, Severus rubbed his face with his hands, blinding himself to Harry's smirk.

"And you being cold made it alright for you to crawl into **my **bed?" A horrible thought seeped from the recesses of his mind. "And how in the nine circles of Hell did you manage to enter my private quarters?" He eyed Harry suspiciously.

Harry, not about to reveal the Marauder's map's uses and functioning, shrugged for the second time. His first intention had only been to verify if some rumours running through the school about the Potions Master were true, when he noticed that his punctuality-obsessed teacher did not answer to his knocking. Looking at the map, he learned Snape's password for his rooms and decided to do a little exploring. And then the bed looked comfortably warm and inviting, and he was yawning ... Not that he would confess that to the forbidding-looking man ... Schooling his face into the most innocent air he could master, Harry mewled/You invited me in,/ smirking as the vein began to grow. It was so much fun riling the man so early in the morning, not to mention that he deserved it for sticking him with Draco Malfoy.

Snape was indignant. "I certainly did not do such a thing, unless I sleepwalked and I know I don't, so..."

Harry cut him. /Yes, you did! You said I was to come again at eight to test my Occlumency and Imperius-rejection skills. You even took my book to make sure I'd come! It's not my fault you were already asleep when I arrived! I was even early./ He then made a great show of making himself comfortable in the bed before dragging the covers back up.

Severus's voice seemed to have deserted him before he managed a very convincing growl. Harry had a stray thought which made him chuckle silently, 'I stand corrected, maybe he has canine ancestors, in the end...'

He whined as Severus tugged on a cover's corner. "Get out of my bed now!"

/No, I'm sleepy./

"Twenty points from Gryffindor! Now get out before I make it fifty!"

/But I'm warm, and it's cold outside.../ Harry nearly whined.

"I. Don't. Care." Severus seethed. Seeing that the threats were getting him nowhere and refusing to resort to politeness, Snape did the next best thing to throttling Harry: he grabbed the covers and tore them away. Or tried to, as Harry retaliated in kind.

Squeaking joyfully, and always up for a game, Harry began a tug of war with his Severus. They went on like this for a few minutes, Severus too enraged to stop and allow Harry to win, and Harry enjoying himself too much. Smirking, Severus suddenly let go, just as Harry was giving his corner a vicious tug. His smirk fell from his face when he saw Harry helplessly battling his arms in the air before falling of the bed. What surprised him more was the warm feeling he got in his chest. He suddenly remembered that he had very much appreciated doing that with...whom? He couldn't remember. The most stunning thing was that it was Potter instigating this feeling ... Severus refused to think about this aspect of the situation and preferred to concentrate on the feeling.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he never noticed his bedroom's door opening. It was only when the visitor cleared his throat that he fell back on earth, jumping in the air. Wearing his best sneer, he turned towards the door and Lucius Malfoy and glared at the smirking blond. First, a first grade brat invited himself in his bed, and then Lucius Malfoy strutted into his rooms, making the spark of remembrance die. Snape was so aggravated he had to catch himself before he hexed one, or preferably, both of them.

"What?" he barked. "Is it a newly instigated 'bother Snape' day?"

Lucius's second eyebrow joined his first as he noticed just how frazzled and agitated the Potions Master was.

"And how did you get through my wards?" Severus queried, pacing to vent his agitation and buy time to restrain his want to hex his two intruders.

"They weren't set?"

Severus stopped mid-pace, gaping like a fish for a few seconds before closing his mouth with an audible 'click'.

Harry, who had just managed to extract himself from the covers, had peeked around the bed just in time to catch that expression on his professor's face.

'Great, now a fish. Let's see if I can manage to make him do more animals!' he decided.

His expression thunderous, the Potions Master turned to give the opposite side of his bed the master of all Death Glares. Lucius nearly snickered when Harry poked his head, ears first, over the edge of the bed till his eyes were visible.

/Don't look at me like that, I didn't even have to say the password to get in…/ He quickly padded to his Severus and proceeded to hug the stunned man, rubbing his back. /There, all better./ He grinned before kissing him on impulse on the cheek. All Severus could manage was a strangled gasp.

Turning to the door, Harry frowned when he noticed the amused-looking blond. 'Now you've done it, Lucius, I'm the only one who can make fun of my Potions Master. And I know just the thing for you…'

If Lucius hadn't dismissed the glint in Harry's eyes as inconsequential or a trick of the light, he might have been able to avoid what happened next.

Harry rushed to him, clawing the front hem of his robes and tugging them upwards to frown at his flannel pants.

Smirking all the while, and making sure to keep eye contact with the startled blond, he planted the claws of his right paw in Lucius's waistband, the left maintaining the robes up. Sliding his finger claw first on the side of the pants' opening, he tugged a little as if to slice the pants open.

He let a flustered Lucius push him away and hastened to cut the angry tirade he knew was coming. /I'm disappointed./ He pouted. /Why aren't you wearing the leather ones? Do you want me to help you change?/ he mewled, making a great deal of extending a paw, all claws out, in the vicinity of 'little Lucius'. After peaking at Lucius through his bangs and trembling with contained laughter as he spied Lucius's cheeks' slight pinking, Harry put both of his paws on Lucius's shoulders and stood on tiptoes to kiss his forehead, all the while looking at him with the best 'hangkitten' eyes at his disposal. He gently pushed Lucius out of the way and bounded across the threshold and through his professor's quarters.

Once alone, the two men unanimously gathered around the bottle of alcohol Severus had let outside the evening before and downed a glass, their reasoning being that they both needed the disconnection of the embarrassing reality that was Harry Potter that alcohol on an empty stomach would give them.

"He's going to turn us into alcoholics," Severus muttered. Lucius could only nod his agreement.

Harry stopped running and started walking at a very slow pace, ending sat on one of the windowsills, looking at a flock of birds flying around the castle. He had a lot of things to think about. Firstly, why was he purring? Secondly, why did he felt giddy and happy as he was hugging his most hated professor? Thirdly, since when was the Slytherin **his**? And, last but not least, what was he thinking, kissing Lucius-I'm-a-Death-Eater-Malfoy? On the forehead, but still … and why did his 'happy feeling' increased when he was touching the pure-blood snob? Harry sighed, but soon resumed giggling as Lucius's embarrassed face crossed his mind. But now, he had more serious matters to attend to, namely food. Once sure that all the students were in the Great Hall, he sneaked his way to the kitchens. It was just his luck that he came across Dobby the house-elf on his way, him being the only one not afraid of Harry-cat. He was thus given entrance to his second best place at Hogwarts: the kitchens.

Once reassured that Harry would not try and jump on them to eat them, the house-elves were all over themselves trying to satisfy him, and Dobby nearly jumped inside of an oven being used with happiness when Harry let him pet his ears.

And then it was time for class. Harry reluctantly left the warm kitchen full of wonderful aromas. He dragged his feet to his first class, Charms, never looking right or left in an attempt to forget about the stares following him.

The lesson went with nearly no trouble at all, except for the fact that small squeaky things equalled to toys in cat-Harry's mind, and he spent the lesson trying to pounce on professor Flitwick, only to be restrained by Draco.

The first time Harry struggled quite wildly, and Draco dodging barely in time to avoid a flailing paw was Hermione's signal to prove once more her cat skills as she scratched Harry behind the ears. It led to the most embarrassing minutes of Harry's life, as Draco joined in and he went boneless into his rival's arms. Draco then used this method to distract Harry every time he as much as breathed in the tiny professor's direction, sometimes with no reason at all, according to Harry.

'I'm going to rue the day when Draco-I'm-a-prat-Malfoy discovered one of my weaknesses, I just know it…' Harry thought gloomily on his way to his next class.

Transfiguration was worse. Instead of changing his book into a dog, like everyone else, Harry kept changing his professor into her Animagus form. Three times. McGonnagal, tired of reverting into human, but not angry enough to give the clearly distraught Harry detention, forbid him to do any transfiguration, at least when she was in the neighbourhood.

Lunch, where even the most exquisite cream and milk were not enough to make Harry forget about the stares burning holes through his skin and the whispers, louder and louder…. No, Harry did not like lunch in the Great Hall, he very much preferred the tranquillity of the kitchens … If only he could eat all his meals there … maybe if he asked one of his Slytherins?

After what seemed like an eternity for poor Harry, it was finally time for the afternoon lessons.

Divination, first, was quite the contrary of both his morning classes. Harry, half asleep after lunch and high on incense, kept mewing comments going from critiques of Trelawney's way of teaching to her usual attire, even describing his nice little fantasy of a Trelawney/Snape mix. The Gryffindors were completely clueless, seeing the Slytherins collapsing with laughter while they couldn't understand why. But everybody laughed when Trelawney turned towards the students to ask them to let the poor cat out. Harry left with a huge smile and went napping in his favourite couch in the Slytherin Common Room, thanking Merlin that his mewl had been accepted as a password…

Right after that, they'd had a free period that Draco had warned Harry beforehand that he wanted to use it to take care of their Herbology project. He was not too happy to discover a napping Harry sprawled on one of the couches on his return from Arithmancy. He shook him awake none too gently, and so it was a yawning and grumbling Harry who trudged behind Draco towards the greenhouses.

As Harry had chosen the most resilient plant he knew, having enough gardening to do at the Dursleys to last him a whole school year, he had very little to do. Peeking at a busy Draco, he pouted. He tried to attract his attention by pawing at his robes, but Draco was so engrossed in his work that he never noticed. Harry went on with his game for a few minutes before stopping, as his heart wasn't in it.

Bored, he began to wander through the greenhouse. Feeling his tail being tugged, he turned and noticed that it was intertwined with some sort of vine. Sniffing the air, Harry heard his stomach grumbling, complaining about its empty state. And those leaves looked just so…mouth-watering. He plucked a leave, sniffed it all over before tasting it. He couldn't believe his taste buds – the plant actually was not only edible, but also good!

As he reached for another, one of the vines retaliated by lashing towards his paw. His hunger forgotten for the moment, Harry lashed back. He crouched down, his tail waving to and fro. Jumping on a vine, he playfully wrestled with it.

When Draco finally arrived, it was to the sight of a Harry-cat intertwined in vines, one half-eaten leaf hanging from the corner of his mouth. He blinked and arched an eyebrow.

"You really can't be left alone, can you?" he commented to a grinning Harry, who whined and pouted before accepting his help to free himself from the vines.

They were leaving when Harry felt a tug on his tail, once again. Turning his head, he saw that another vine had coiled around his tail and was trying to bring him back. Apparently the plant had enjoyed their play as much as Harry. Or it was trying to get him into its vines to strangle him till it could digest him...

Harry, perfectly happy with the idea of a little wrestling game before dinner, turned around to jump right back in.

"Oh no, you won't," Draco warned him, stepping between him and the plant and finding himself nose to chest with cat-Harry as he intercepted him in mid-leap. Grabbing Harry's waist and tucking his chin against his chest to avoid to a maximum being cuffed by flailing paws, he half carried, half dragged a pouting Harry towards the greenhouse exit.

They were half way there when disaster struck. Harry's struggles were not cowed by the scratching-behind-the-ears method, and Draco somehow ended up tripping on one of Harry's back paws and, as a result, flat on his back on the floor, his nose buried into Harry's neck as his arms were still around Harry's waist.

Half embarrassed and half enjoying himself, to his great horror, Draco frantically tried to get up. But Harry was of another opinion and had decided to punish him for depriving him of his fun. So, he made himself as heavy a dead weight as he could, which was a lot, as all cats will.

Even his grumbling stomach was not enough to make him budge. He used his close position to study his rival's reddening features, as it was an unusual look for a Malfoy, though still one they seemed to get often in his close proximity. What began as curiosity stretched into something like fascination as the minutes ticked away. Entranced, he began to trace Draco's jawbone with the side of his paw.

It was Draco's deepening blush, and the one it triggered in Harry that forced him to spring into action. He literally flew to his feet and lifted Draco from the floor before running back to the school. Draco followed at a more considerate pace. Both were silent the rest of the evening. Harry was so deep in his thoughts that he ate mechanically, not even praising the goddesses as he had done nearly each time since he had been "cattified".

After dinner, Harry had Quidditch practice. He was a little bit worried that his beloved Firebolt would not understand him. And he couldn't even chew his nails...

The instant he dreaded seemed to rush towards him, and he soon found himself standing over his broom. But, like the book, it slammed into his paw at Harry's command, to his great happiness.

He was at first a little reluctant to leave the floor, letting his broom hover just high enough for his toes to skim the grass. Till Ron released the Golden Snitch. The little golden ball zoomed this way and that, attracting Harry's attention. Harry soon forgot everything in his pursuit of the Snitch, his only problem being that each time he caught up with it, Harry kept batting at it instead of trying to catch it.

The day turned into dusk quickly, as Harry suddenly noticed. 'It's strange how your notion of time can be warped, according to what you are doing. Either the minutes can stretch like some marshmallow, or disappear as quickly as water drops in the heat…' The Golden Snitch speeding right under his nose shook him out of his thoughts and brought him back to his game.

As curfew approached, the Gryffindor team put an end to their practice and landed. Everybody had dismounted their brooms and was ready to go back to their common room but Harry was still flying, deaf to his comrades' shouts, and apparently not at all bothered by the darkening sky. Till an irked Ron went to hover near him and shook him out of his playful daze.

"Harry! Stop batting at the damn thing! It's nearly curfew!"

Ron was resenting Harry for his stunt during Divination, but even more for his transfer into the Slytherin dorms and the fact that he seemed to get on so well with the snakes, which he viewed as a personal treason. He had barely spoken two words to Harry during the whole practice, and only for play-related subjects.

Pouting a little, Harry nodded and dived on the snitch, clapping his paws around it. And, of course, luck (or rather the lack of it) saw to it that a violent gush of wind caught Harry's broom tail, making Harry lose his balance and sending him spinning.

Harry was suddenly bucked off his broom and sent tumbling in free flight to the floor – to his team-mates' great horror, as nobody was near him or even able to get to him in time to catch him. Ron could only look with the rest of them, frozen with terror from his position near the floor where he had been returning after his little admonition to Harry.

Unconsciously twisting and turning in the air, Harry finally landed in a crouch. For the first time since the beginning of this ordeal, he was glad for his feline instincts. As were his comrades as soon as they had recovered from their fright. They all huddled protectively around him on the way back to the castle, afraid he would somehow frighten them again.

Their protection cocoon turned into something else as Harry suddenly focused onto the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where some rustling had caught his attention. If his comrades hadn't been all around him, he would have gone to investigate. But things being as they were, his team-mates were able to march him to the castle.

'I will go and see what it was. According to the height of the bushes, it was neither an Acromantula, nor a centaur. Damnit, I can feel that it is not something I need to be afraid of. I _need _to know what it is!'

It was evident for all his team-mates when Harry kept looking at the Forbidden Forest and sighing that he was not to be left alone till he was firmly ensconced in the Slytherin Common Room, so they all marched him to the dungeon, reluctantly giving him into the custody of the first Slytherin they saw with orders not to let him go out at any price.

The Slytherin third year was puzzled to hear Harry mumbling/But I _must _go in the Forest, it is not like there are dangerous things in there, damnit,/ as he passed her on his way to the shower room. She resolved to warn Draco about the Boy-Who-Was–Obsessed's plans. It would, after all, do them no good to have the Gryffindor Golden Boy vanish from their care, now would it?


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them. Kirara is borrowed from Inuyasha.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.

You can go to http/ groups. /group/ HarryxLucius. in the challenge and plotbunnies file to try to find one for you. (HarryxLucius yahoo group if the adress doesn't come out well)

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French.

Chapter un-betaed!

/bla/ Harry-cat's mewing

**/bla/** Kirara's mewing. Kirara is an onineko, from the japanes oni 'monster, ogre' and neko 'cat'. How original… She can augment its size, spit magical fire balls and fly.

Excuses : Sorry for the long wait, but it is because :

1) lack of inspiration

2) chapter growing way out of length

3) real life interference

4) lot of researches to do

So, without further ado, enjoy!

Chapter 7 – Hunt for trouble, Kiss them away

No sooner was Draco sure that Harry was deeply asleep, as the slight purr his expirations had taken on their ending indicated, that he called for an emergency reunion of the whole of his house mates. He grabbed a first year passing by in the corridor and relayed his instructions.

He watched her going to round up the others snakes before turning back for a last look at the sleeping Harry.

Struck by a sudden inspiration, he locked and warded Harry's door carefully. Satisfied that Harry was not going anywhere in the meantime, he was turning to go when he noticed a slight shimmer outlining the door's lower panel. Signalling to Draco's practiced eyes that some magic had been applied to it.

Rolling his eyes, he pointed his wand towards the door and muttered "revelo". Nothing, not even the few spark indicating habitually that the spell used had been devised in such a way that it couldn't be identified by the reveler spell.

Frowning, Draco cast Revelao, a strongest form of the reveler spell. Still nothing, but Draco could have sworn that he has heard some muffled snickering. Looking right and left to ensure that nobody was lurking in the shadows, he bent over the bottom half of the door and whispered a borderline dark spell. He blinked when the magic shift, a line of red light going to outline the panel, forming in the end a human-sized cat door, keyed to Harry 'cat' Potter's magical signature, so that he was the only one able to use it.

Impressed, Draco smirked before transfiguring his handkerchief into a bolt. He settled it on the wall near the cat door, gluing it with a sticking charm and fastening the bolt closed so that the cat door stayed shut. It was by no means a perfect solution, as Harry could still go through with a little bit of brute strength. But it was, at least Draco hoped, enough so the sound would alert them, giving them at least enough time to tail Harry should he decide to go for a walk in the evening. If it was during the night...well, at least Draco could hope not tonight.

He was on his way to the Common Room when a stray thought made him stop, one feet poised in the air. Draco brought it down in slow motion, his eyes flickering between all the doors situated in the corridor. If there was one, maybe... He hid his face into his hands as he shuddered. A quick check later, his suspicions had been proved right. All the doors in Slytherin had one. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. Even Snape's teacher's door, leading directly to the corridor outside of the Slytherin dormitories.

Grumbling, Draco hastened to the Common Room. He stopped in front of his yearmates, the cushions he had gathered on his way clutched in his arms and garnering him more than one strange look. With a huff of annoyance, he let go of the cushions right into a startled Blaise Zabini's lap.

Standing in front of his friend who was struggling to come from under the mountain of cushions frightening to smother him up, Draco smirked.

"So, Blaise, you are the one who wanted to do some transfiguration. Go ahead, transfigure those into bolts."

"May I enquire as to why?"

Draco's smirk turned devilish. "Well, dear Pansy, of course you may. Though I may not answer." He sighed and grew serious, turning to encompass all his housemates in his stare.

"We really have a serious situation on our hands. One who will allow us to show what we are capable of to the others houses at Hogwarts and the whole wizzarding world. One that I require the assistance of the whole lot of you with. I'll explain in a few minutes, but for now, I need the help of a few of you to install those bolts. They are to be glued to the wall and on the lower half of the doors. At least the ones leading outside, and to the girls' rooms. Just look at the one I put on Potter's door for example."

Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, Nott and Avery left to secure the doors, each grabbing one or two bolts from the pile Blaise had in front of him on a coffee table. Once they were back, Draco took a deep breath and explained.

"Miss Darkworth reported to me that, this evening, the whole Gryffindor quidditch team walked Potter through the castle and straight to our dorm. They warned her not to let him go out of the dorm at any cost, that he was constantly trying to go gallivanting into the Forbidden Forest. She even heard him grumbling under his breath that he had to go there, because there was nothing able to hurt him there.

We do not, and I put the emphasis on 'not', want the Gryffindor Golden Boy disappearing and getting hurt or killed on our watch. Hence the bolts, to make sure that we will be warned should he decide to get out of here without informing one of us first.

So, I want one or more of us in his near vicinity unless he is with the Golden Trio or others members of his house. I want his 'escorts' to keep a snitch or any other mean to distract him efficiently on themselves at all time.

Meanwhile, I want the more gifted of us in Charms to look into tracking charms. The bolts are only a provisory solution, as a little bit of strength should be enough to get rid of them ; not to forget that they are transfigured objects and should soon resumed their forms. Our boy wonder managed to create human sized cat doors, keyed to his magical signature, on every door. It wouldn't surprise me to hear that he even have one on Professor Snape's quarter's door.

Report your findings to me. Dismissed."

The Slytherins went back to their previous occupations. Harry spent the whole night safely ensconsed in his bed.

He never commented on the bolts, as long as they stayed open. Draco was the one to personally close them, once he was sure Harry was asleep. The first Slytherin up would open them. Another security mesure, one Snape agreed whole heartily to put in place : Harry could no longer open the dormitory from the inside, so that he could only go outside of the dorms accompanied.

Harry didn't complain either when he noticed that each time he was outside, one or the other Slytherins were always ready to engage him into a game. And, frankly, who was Harry-cat to refuse a game?

The fact that Snape didn't complain when Harry unlitarely decided to stop their tests increased Harry's good mood. Even the fact that he was conscient that Snape had relayed his surveillance duty on his Slytherins didn't dampen his cheerfulness.

And so life went on till the first Hogsmead week end. Harry had decided not to attend, putting another dent into his friendship with Ron, who couldn't understand how Harry could stand to play with the Slytherins like he had been doing all week long. He refused to understand Harry's reasoning of wanting his privacy from the press, how he didn't want photographies of his newest predicament to be exposed for everybody to see and gawk at. And he didn't feel up to all the stares he knew he would get from the little village's population.

He had owled so to the people he considered to be his two best friends. His first try had been less than fortunate. He was so preoccupied by his situation, the fact that there was still no changes, that only the Slytherins could understand him, the fact that Voldemort had laughed when receiving Lucius' first report... that he embarassed himself by pawing at the self moving quill. He only succeeded in blurring some words, and even decorated the middle of his piece of parchment with a black imprint of his paw. This taught him a few things. The first being that ink didn't taste good. At all. And that it was a bitch to remove from his fur. The second was that dicta-quills did not stand well being 'attacked' while working. He still had some healing puncture marks to testify of that.

His second try was slightly better, if only a little more trembly. He had painstakingly scripted a few sentences, a quill he had borrowed from Draco clutched between both paws. He was proud of himself when, an hour later, he had managed to jolt down three sentences on the parchment. The personnal attention was, after all, a good way to tell his friends that even if they were no longer rooming together he still thought about them. Or so Harry thought when he gave the letter to Hermione the friday before at breakfast.

Feeling like a cat on hot bricks, he had came down to the Great Hall to see his friends out. Hermione's reaction to Harry's thoughtfull gesture had been to lecture him on his messy scrawl. Ron's had been more embarassing. He had tousled Harry's hair in front of all the assembled students before dragging Hermione out. None of them had turned to look back at a miserable Harry, only waving good bye. Harry's shoulders slumped, they hadn't even try to convince him to go with them, or even proposed to keep him company.

It was a dejected Harry-cat who walked around the school, his head bowed and sighing occasionally.

After a few moments of students either ruffling his hairs, ears or tugging on his tail to see if it was really attached to him, the cat student was in a really bad mood.

Severus came across him gesticulating and hissing in front of some wide eyed first years as he was berating them on his tail not being a toy. After docking some points, the Potions Master sent the eleven years on their way before laying into Harry for unduly frightening impressionable younger students.

"Well, Potter, I have reach the last limit of my rapidly dwindling patience with you. We have some tests to go through and once they're done, I will allow you to go back to wallowing in self-pity. The sooner those tests are done, the sooner you will be free from this...predicament. And seeing as you have elected to stay here instead of going to cavort with your pears, we should put the time to good use. Now, mister Potter."

This sent Harry over the edge.

/Stop treating me like the subject of your next book! And I'm not a cat, neither I am a spoiled brat! I'm still human under all that fur, I have feelings, unlike you/ Harry fumed, before turning to run away, leaving Snape frowning and scribbling into a roll of parchment, muttering about 'loss of inhibitions'.

Harry was not paying attention to where he was going, too occupied by his rehash of his previous encounter with the dour potions master. He was striding in the corridor leading to the newly instigated duel room when he felt that someone was on his way. Nimbly stepping around the person without even breaking pace or looking up, Harry was surprised when the person passed the whole length of his tail through its hand. That stopped him cold.

Annoyed, he looked up into amused silver eyes. He spat and, wrenching his tail from Lucius Malfoy's grip, turned on his heels and high tailed out of the corridor, his ears ringing with his purring. 'Damn Dumbledore! Why did he have to reinstall the duel club, and to ask Malfoy senior to head it! That's it I am filing a file on him at Saint Mungo's mental ward!' Harry carefully left aside his own reaction to the Slytherin's petting, and the fact that it was apparently a well earned retaliation for his stunt with Lucius' pants.

Annoyed with the whole wizzarding world and himself, Harry decided that he needed a little bit of cheering up, from someone who would always give him her unwavering support : Hedwig. The first time she had seen him after the transformation, she had attacked him, flying all around him and trying to nip at whatever piece of him she could reach with her beak.

After a few seconds of waving madly around to protect himself, Harry had finally managed to convince Hedwig that the feline he was would not hurt her as he was in fact her beloved master. When Harry had tried to explain things to Hedwig, his mewling had increased her frenzy. It was quick thinking on Harry's part and the gift of a white mouse he had caught around Hagrid's hutt that had convinced the owl to suspend her attacks long enough to inspect the creature her master had become. Once satisfied, she playfully tugged at some of his hairs.

And so it has became a game between them. Whenever Harry would come to the owlery, or Hedwig into the Great Hall during breakfast, she would fly around him and mock-attacked him while Harry would flail his arms around, pretending to repel her.

Today, he was of the mind for such a game, the mindless moving about alluring to him more and more. And he knew that Hedwig was one of the rare being in his world who was not prejudiced against or for him, he knew that she would never judge him and always be by his side, she would also never ask him for more than he was able to give.

He spent a few relaxing moments with his pet before he had to obey his rumbling stomach's loud cries for food. He kept to the shadows, mindfull of possible wandering students. Before entering each new corridor, he carefully pricked his ears, standing still and breathing slowly through his mouth for a few seconds to be sure he was alone.

Chosing to avoid the vicinity of the Great Hall, and the possibility of a professor being sent to look for any straggler (aka Harry 'cat' Potter), he slunk along the shadows in the direction of the kitchens. His bad luck held true as he noticed that there was no House Elves in the corridor. Usually, Harry's raids would be simple : hide in the shadows, wait till an elf get out or get ready to get in the kitchen, pounce to scare the elf and be careful to slip in before the door closed. Not today as the House Elves seemed to be either busy with lunch or avoiding Harry's neighbourhood.

He stared for a few seconds at the pear, wondering how he would be able to tickle it when a slight jingle reached his ears. He hopped excitedly in place a little bit, clapping his paws together, before bringing his tail forward, sweeping its end over the pear thrice. For a moment, nothing happened and then the pear quivered in what looked like laughter to a mesmerized Harry before rolling out of the bowl and around the table, still silently quivering. Even the doorknob it changed into was quacking.

Harry looped his paw around the handle and weighed on it while pulling the door open, and then he was able to enter the inner sanctum. As soon as he stepped in, he filled his lungs with all the wonderful smells emanating from the ovens and cooking instruments. He sighed beatifically before looking down at a hyper Dobby who had latched onto his leg, squeaking exctatically at being able to receive another visit from 'the Great HarryPotter cat'.

After a few minutes of trying to explain the whys of his presence, Harry let his stomach speak for him in the end.

Dobby jumped and clapped in delight. "Dobby is preparing special food for HarryPotter cat, that Dobby is!" Harry paled as he glanced at the elf bounding around the kitchen, banging some ustensils and food, he couldn't help wondering if Dobby's idea of 'special food' could be lethal.

As it was, it was far from it, and a very good surprise for Harry. Once he was done, Dobby stopped in front of Harry, a plate in his hands covered with a tea towel. He deposited it on a table, his bright green eyes glittering with mischief as he took the teal towel off the plate to reveal a bunny shaped pie. Harry almost laughed with relief and extended a paw towards his bunny-pie only to have it batted away by a grinning Dobby.

"Tut tut, HarryPotter cat, Dobby is seeing you all glumy, so Dobby is making special food to cheer HarryPotter cat up. Look."

The House Elf's pointed index emitted a dark blue glow. As the glow touched Harry's pie, it began hopping all over the table.

"Now HarryPotter cat, you is playing with the food!" a smug Dobby said.

Harry blinked at the sur-reality of the exchange, his lips quirking up a little bit. His tail lazily switching back and forth behind him, he crouched low and jumped on the table in pursuit of the running away pie. The pursuit lasted for five seconds top before Harry had gulped the whole pie down.

/It's official, I'm the goddesses' favourite, and Dobby is their High Priest/ he mewled, uncaring of his goofy grin.

Seeing him having so much fun, and perhaps hoping to distract Harry's attention from themselves, the House Elves quickly put another bunny-pie together. His bad mood completely driven away by the bouncing pies and the two goblets of warm milk he downed after, Harry sat himself for a full primping session.

Done, he enthousiastically bid Dobby goodbye before skipping straight to the room of requirement, as a nap seemed heavenly for now. He paced three times in front of the room, wishing for a big and comfy eiderdown and a sunfilled room.

He was awaken rudely from a very pleasant dream in which he had been chasing – and catching – Peter Pettigrew in his rat form by a hand shaking his shoulder. He blinked open fuzzy eyes to Ron Weasley's smiling face.

"Come on, mate, open those green eyes for me. I see someone had a good time while we were gone." He taunted the blinking Harry. Ron winced a little as Harry's yawn revealed his new fangs but grinned as he eyed Harry from head to toe. "It was apparently a good dream, as your legs and arms were moving around as if you were running after something... I'm sorry to disturb you when you seem to have such a good time, but Hermione's waiting for us in the library, you know that revision schedule of hers..." He flashed Harry a quick apologetic smile.

Harry goggled incredulously at his oblivious red haired friend before giving in into his incessant tugging and getting up from his warm and comfy eiderdown. He dragged his paws all the time it took them to reach the library, showing an evident lack of motivation.

It was a cranky teen cat who had been ushered into a chair near Hermione and the huge stack of books she wanted them to study, it was a crankiest teen cat who suddenly found he had a frog in his throat. He swallowed his saliva to try and get rid of it, but to no avail. He tried to clear his throat discreetly but earned himself a glare from Hermione which screamed 'how dare you interrupt my precious time with books'. The obstinate frog refused to be evicted, and seemed even to climb higher into poor Harry's throat.

Harry covered his mouth with his paw, but the tinkling fur only made it worse. 'I perhaps shouldn't have eaten those leaves' he thought morosely and bent over the table. Ron, who had noticed his unease, put his hand on Harry's shoulder and whispered to him "What is wrong, mate? Should I take you to Madam Pomfrey?"

Harry shook his nead 'no' before realising a few seconds after how bad an idea it had been, as he bent double over the table and spat a few hairballs on Ron's divination homework.

"Blimey, mate! I know divination is a farce, but that is no reason to be sick all over my homework!"

Hermione looked from behind her book at what the commotion had been and sighed when she noticed the hairballs and Harry's embarassed air.

"Really, Ron, it's not Harry's fault, he's just spitting the fur he swallowed while primping. All cats do the same, though I wonder where Harry found some purgatives herbs and if they are the same as for real cats…"

Harry quickly tuned her conference on feline behaviour down as he already knew all there was to know about cats from his stays at Miss Figg's in favour of looking at the Slytherin striding towards him, a plant lacking some of its leaves in his hands. Seeing Nott's thunderous expression, Harry tried to slide down in his seat but Theodore was at his side too quickly.

He slammed the plant in front of Harry and glared at him, fists on his hips.

"Well, Potter, what do you have to say for your defense? I hope for you that my plant doesn't die or **you **are going to explain to Madam Sprout why my herbology project look like a withered trunk!"

"Miaaaaw!" Harry tried his best begging eyes on the Slytherin, ears flat on his skull, tail dejectedly hanging against his chair's leg.

Theodore grabbed his plant and craddled it protectively against his chest. "Don't give me those eyes Potter, I know it was you, your magical signature was all over the place. I want you to promise me you won't touch my plant ever again, though what you would want with mintache is beyond me."

Harry stayed silent and looked slightly embarassed.

Hermione interviened shyly "It is no wonder Harry plucked leaves from your plant, it is a hybrid made of mint and a plant used as an expectorant, the cats used it as a purgative herb to get rid of the hairs they swallow when licking their fur…"

Nott looked annoyed "Whatever, Potter, stay away from my plant, or you'll discover the meaning of the word 'fleas'" He left in a huff before Madam Pince could throw him outside of the library.

Hermione then rounded up on Harry. "Harry, how could you! You should just have asked, there was no need to nearly destroy a classmate's herbology project!"

Harry interrupted her with a snarl before rushing out of the library.

He stopped and huddled on a sunny windowsill, when he settled to regain his respiration after his mindless run. He spent a few minutes looking at a flock of sparrows pecking at the ground in search of worms before sighing deeply.

'So, am I good enough of a friend only to do homework with? Or is that to be sure I won't forget to do my assignements? Really, they didn't tell me about their day in Hogsmead, where they went, what they did... They didn't even brought me back some sweets or pranks... Am I so bad a friend? Or is it that they are my friends because I'm Harry bloody Poter? After all, Ron did fixated on my scar before he even learned to know me... He was angry at first about my changing of rooms, when it was not my idea to do so, and after a few hours in Hogsmead with Hermione, he's acting as if nothing had happened. That is the fastest I've seen him change his mind.

And Hermione, I don't know what to do with the way she acted. It's as if she is trying too hard to pretend nothing happened. Or is she that naïve to think that the 'omniscient' Headmaster and potions teacher will be able to change me back? Or even better that I will wake up some day changed back? And in the meanwhile, nothing to do other than putting on a smile and pretend nothing is wrong! As if!

So everything is prefect in the best of the worlds till... Wait a minute! I certainly don't like where this is going. Could it be that they are my friends only because of who I appear to be? Or only because my present state represent a challenge for her intelligence?

Worse, still, are they some sort of security measure Dumbledore installed? It is true, after all, that the Weasleys were right on time. Nah! I'm seeing too much in coïncidences.'

He shook his head with a small rueful smile 'Paranoïd much, Harry my cat?' He giggled a little and was getting ready to stand up when he noticed his friends arriving near him, totally out of breath.

"Harry" Ron stopped to gain a semblant of breath back "Why did you take off like that?" He was about to add something when Hermione cut in "Harry, you have to work! You can't let the transformation hinder you from studying, the NEWTs are only next year, afterall!"

Harry saw red. /So, all you're interested in are those lousy exams! What world are you living in? Just because there is no immediate solution, we wait patiently and do nothing! Guess what, that is this behaviour which caused people to sit and wait, praying that Voldemort would blow himself up. Well he did not, instead he became more powerful, and now everybody expect me to defeat the most powerful dark wizzard since Merlin only know when! It would have been so easy to get rid of him after his first murders, but nobody did anything, and now it's all up to me/ Harry knew he might be a little bit unfair, but he didn't care, he was on a roll. /And another thing! I can't believe you! I may not be all human anymore, but it's still me under this fur, and I still need somebody to hug me from time to time and tell me that everything will be all right soon, even if we both know that it is an arrant lie!

I still have feelings and the need to be comforted and held is one of them! And right now, I'm scared and frustrated, and the way you're behaving is not helping any/

He rounded on Hermione, who squeacked. / And all you can speak of are the NEWTs! I bet you are only reminding it to me because it would reflect badly on you should I fail them! Because I am afterall, the famous Harry Potter/

He turned on a flabbergast and paling Ron. /And you! What are you? A weathercock? You're changing moods quicker than a pregnant woman! Sulking like a little child when things do not go the way you want them to! Jealous of me for a fame I got because of an event I wish with all my heart never happened! Turning your back on me at the smallest whisper of me turning dark without even taking the trouble to check with me first! Well Ron, I've got a piece of news for you, so open your ears, and listen well! Dark is not yet synonimous of Evil! And the world is not either Black or White! The Gryffindors are not the holder of the sole truth/

Harry hoppped down from the windowsill and rushed past his blinking and shocked friends. He was so agitated that he never noticed the Slytherin hiding in the shadows. He didn't even slowed down when Mrs Norris suddenly emerged from a side corridor, he only jumped over her and continued to run.

He had a single goal in mind and mewled victoriously when he passed the entrance doors. He slunk away towards the Forbidden Forest, putting on a burst of speed to escape Blaise Zabini who was closing in on him. Blaise, short on options, opted to try a tackle. He was left spitting a few blades of grass while Harry sniggered over his shouder as he stepped deeper into the Forest. Blaise ran back to the castle, intend on warning Draco.

Still high with the excitement of his escape and the relief of having gotten his feelings of his chest for the first time time since being 'cattified', Harry ran for a while for the sheer pleasure of running. Harry stopped into a clearing. Looking around, he tried to find something edible as his stomach made itself known.

He was examining a bush of holly with red daisies sprouting from it at random intervals when it moved, his leaves rustling against each others. A few seconds later, one of the carnivorous rabbits the Forest harbored into its depths jumped from under it.

Surprised, Harry reacted a few seconds too late. The rabbit was already gone as he instinctively leapt, images of fresh meat over-ridding his human disgust of raw food and making his mouth water. Not even the prospect of having to kill his food was enough of a deterent to him.

The rabbit may have been gone, but its pursuer certainly wasn't, as it came across Harry's route too quickly for both of them to react. An encounter was inescapable as things came to an head. Both Harry and his opponent were sent reeling from the force of the shock.

Seated on the floor, Harry whined and rubbed his aching forehead with his paw. He jumped a little when an unknown voice called out to him.

**/Hell, kitten, are you alright/**

Harry peaked through his disheveled bangs to the large onineko he had spent some time sleeping against in his last Care of Magical Creature class. The large brown cat went and sit in front of him. She pinched the sleeve of his vest between her front teeth to make him remove his paw, so that she could have a look at his forehead.

Putting both of her paws on his shoulders, she licked his forehead, making Harry giggle despite the embarassment he felt.

Once done, she settled back in front of him. **/So, kitten, what did you think you were doing? Who taught you to hunt? Don't you know it's the food you're supposed to pounce on, not the chaser! Unless you're a cannibal/**

Harry shook his head no. The blush that seemed to be permanently affixed on his face darkened when his stomach took it upon itself to inform the onineko of its empty state.

The cat emited what sounded like a laugh before grinning **/Come on, Kit, I'll feed you. I'm Kirara, by the way. And you little frog/**

'm not a frog/ Harry mumbled/and my name's Harry./

**/Well, then come Harry/**

With a squeal of joy, Harry ambled to the powerful japanese monster cat, totally unaware or uncaring of the panic that was steadily gripping his Slytherin nemesis.

While Harry was taking his first hunting lesson, Draco was reporting to his godfather, trying to keep his voice from wavering with hysteria. He was surprised when instead of a victorious smirk and derogatory remarks on Potter's inability to stay out of trouble, all he got was a concerned frown.

Both Draco and Severus exchanged a surprised look, both wondering why the other cared, and more importantly, why they themselves cared.

"What are we going to do?" Draco asked, raking his hand through his hair.

For answer, Severus digged into the top drawer of his desk. Draco curiously inspected the crystal item his favourite professor had put right in the middle of the desk.

It was a masterfully crafted crystal stag. The artist had been so gifted that the stag looked ready to jump out of its pedestal and cavort on the desk.

"Where did you get a hold of that?" Draco asked, his tone awed. "It's perfect!"

Severus' frown deepened as he gently glided the tip of his index along the statuette's back in a gesture reminescent of a caress. He sighed deeply.

"I don't remember exactly..." His voice took a soft, reminscing tone, "All I know, is that one day it was there and that I was totally incapable of even thinking of getting rid of it. Not that I'd want to." His voice died down.

Draco was the first one to break the silence. "Well, that is all well and fine, but we will discuss why this little fellow decided to adopt you later. What I'd like to know right now, is what we are going to do about Mr. I'm a Real Pain In The Ass Potter!"

"Draco, calm down!" snapped Snape. "This 'little crystal fellow' as you called it, has been charmed by the Headmaster himself to glow a violent red" he stopped to sniff scornfully at the hated colour's mention, reaction normal for a Slytherin, "should a student find him or her self into danger on the grounds. The only one actually corresponding to the situation right now is The Brat. All the teachers have one such item in their possession."

Draco smirked at the obvious capitals. He nodded "So, don't mind me repeating myself, but what now?" He insisted.

"Now, I will place a warning charm on the statuette. Not only will it glow red, but it will also emit a bipping noise, much like a muggle waking clock. As it is now too late for an expedition in this blasted forest, you will warn your fellow Slytherins that you will stay in my company all this night, as I have absolutely no desire to let the statuette out of my sight. And don't forget your broom, you may have to go flying during the night."

Draco nodded and ran. Severus spent all the time he was away staring at the statuette.

"I'm back" Draco annonced softly, as to not startle his volatile godfather and end with a nasty curse.

The Potions Master nodded. "All right, you may transfigure the chair into something more comfortable. I suggest you brush upon the location charm, as in the more than probable hypothesis of Mister Potter ending in trouble, you will have to use it to fly to him in time."

They both sank into deep thoughts.

In the forest, a satiated Harry was in the process of curling against the vibrating flank of his newest friend. He giggled a little when she cleaned his face with broad sweep of her tongue. He wriggled when she moved to his hair, but he only got pinned by her superior weight for his trouble. Once done, she let him curl back.

**/What's troubling you/ **The cat rumbled.

/Nothing/ Harry yelped when the cat boped him on the back of his head with her tail.

**/Too quick, Kit, and the tone is off./**

With a deep sight, Harry began to explain, first the story of his life, before exposing his theory about his friends, teachers and the lattest plan of Voldie-poo.

Kirara listened without interrupting once. When Harry was done, she wrapped herself around him and purred him to sleep.

As the night gradually settled over the castle, Severus and Draco's anxiety grew by leaps and bonds, to the dismay of both Slytherins.

After having eaten dinner, though being completely incapable of remembering what they had eaten or how it tasted, Draco began to pace his godfather's office. His eyes never left the crystal statuette for long, as if afraid it would glow as soon as his back was turned.

After his fifth circuit, his agravated godfather stopped him. "If you insist on doing something, at least let it make something constructive."

"What do you mean?"

"A few games of chess."

"Agreed."

"Then what are you waiting for? Set the board." Draco hurried to obey as he jumped on the occasion to distract himself from the wait.

They were in the middle of their third stalemate, Severus wondering how his bishop had ended siding with Draco while Draco's king was trying to court his own. Draco was oblivious to everything not wearing antlers. They both jumped nearly out of their robes when somebody knocked on the door.

Severus cleared his throat and called "Enter" The opened door revealed Lucius Malfoy, a slight frown maring his brow. He turned from closing the door and adressed his old friend. "This afternoon I was witness to Potter having a few words with his two friends, he..." his voice faltered down as he set eyes upon the chessboard. "Severus" he paused for a few seconds to decide how he wanted to phrase what he had to say, "I sincerely hope that you do realise how indecent your chess pieces are acting."

His father's voice brought Draco out of his contemplation in time to witness the white king tugging his black homologous, who seemed to be protesting as a matter of form, behind the black tower.

He squeacked and jumped out of his chair, letting it fall on the floor. Severus hastened to speak the conter spell to freeze the pieces before he dumped them into their case. He looked up into amused grey eyes.

"So, is it a private party, or is it permitted to enter?"

Severus sneered to cover his unease. "I let you come in, did I not?"

"That you did."

"You were saying, about Potter?"

"Just a little dispute with his friends, and that he finally seems to be able to see past Dumbledore's view of the world. He is quite dark for a Gryffindor, with a few efforts, we might be able to perhaps bring him to our side."

"Father!" Draco cut in abruptly, "Why didn't you came to tell us that sooner? Potter disappeared!"

Lucius took the time to elegantly seat himself in his son's chair he had righted and arranging his robes before answering. "As a guest, I do have to maintain the pretence of polite conversation and interest in the old fool's blabberings, Draco."

Draco rolled his eyes. Lucius smirked coldly before looking in curiosity around the Potions Master's office. He sprang to his feet once he had spotted the statuette and strode to it. Severus suppressed a flinch when he saw Lucius grab it. But Lucius carefully handled it and inspected it from every angle.

"Well, Severus, I wasn't aware you had such an exquisitively hand made piece. And from somebody obviously caring a great deal about you."

"How would you know that?"

"There." Severus accepted the little statuette Lucius was handing him, grateful that it had come to no harm from Malfoy. "Look it over attentively and pay special attention to the hooves, antlers and chest." Lucius instructed him.

In the crystal, Severus found four runes engraved with a lot of meticulousness. Gebo 'gift', Elhaz 'protection', Jena 'time', and lastly Wunjo 'pleasure, hapiness', each behind one of the statue's hooves. A heaver plant, passion, was situated over where the stag's heart would be, while an apple blossom, standing for choice and beauty, was perched on an antler like on a branch, just over the stag's left eye. A plumtree flower, for strength in adversity, was in a same position over the right eye.

Overwhelmed by a warmth he couldn't identify, Severus sinked into his chair, dazed. Draco rescued the statuette from his godfather's lax grip before it tumbled to the floor. He quickly looked over the carvings and put it back on the middle of the desk.

He sighed, he couldn't stop himself from wishing for somebody to love him just as much as his godfather's lover obviously did. He peeked in his father's direction and was surprised to find, that, according to the expression he wore, his thoughts were similar.

A log creaking into the fire brought the three men back to the present. They quickly donned ther impassive masks back on.

Lucius was the first to speak. "According to your reaction, Severus, I take it you didn't know about those carvings."

Severus shook his head in negation. "I never noticed. As I told your son, one evening I went to bed statuetteless, and woke up to find it on my bed table. That's more or less how it happened. But I didn't know about the carvings..."

Lucius shrugged a shoulder. "I only found because I was looking. They may have been covered so that you couldn't see them unless they were pointed to you."

Severus nodded pensively. The three Slytherins fall silent, contemplating the fire. None of them felt the need to sleep. At six in the morning, the little stag hadn't shine or beep. At one time, both Severus and Draco had verified that the charms were still in place. They were.

Not caring for waiting anymore and eager to do something to get rid of the adrenalin they had accumulated through the night, they had a quick breakfast. After a quick check of the Slytherin dormitories that proved to be Potter less, they relocated to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

A few location charms led them on a zig-zaging and hasardous trek through the trunks and bushes. Two hours of walking later, the Slytherins were exhausted, dishevelled, ready to let Potter manage on his own, and, oh the indignity, sweating. Each of them had voiced, in different occasions, what they would like to do to The Brat as soon as they put their hands on him.

Lucius grumbled for what seemed like the thousand time since the beginning of their much cursed expedition, while dodging one of the twitching leg of a dying acromantula "Remind me again why I am doing that? And for who? Fucking Potter!"

Snape graced him with is darkest Death Glare. "Surely not!" His tone was sharp and definitive.

Draco had learned early on not to interviene or comment. He kept his peace and breath, all the while accelerating slightly to distance himself from the possible duel. He did a last locating charm which leaded him to stop suddenly at the sight who greeted him in the middle of the glade he had just stepped in.

He had found the missing Harry Potter. The only tiniest problem was that he was not alone. No, he was lying on his side, his back to Draco, with the feline creature they had studied the week before in Care of Magical Creature curled around him.

As the creature went to its feet, snarling, Draco's mind decided to supply him with a few reassuring facts about the creature, such as its name, and what it could do. Faced with fangs even sharper than Harry's, Draco gulped and hastily pointed his wand towards the growling irked cat.

They were glaring into each other's eyes when crashed branches heralded the arrival of Lucius Malfoy, wand at the ready. The cat strode over the slumped form of Harry and crouched protectively in front of him. And then swelled to twice its size.

"All right Draco?" Lucius murmured. Draco nodded, keeping the eye contact with the onineko.

"You'll go check on Potter while Severus and I will distract this beast away from him."

Soon, Lucius' curses and hexes' multicolored flashes illiminated the glade, some clashing with some of Severus' who had appeared silently behind the cat. A lot of their curses fizzled out of existence when they met with the magical fire balls the onineko spat.

Draco was the first to receive a wound as Kirara sent him flying with a sweep of her right hind leg. He landed on the floor, dazed, his breath leaving him with a whoshing sound.

Lucius didn't shout his name in concern, nor did he rush towards his son. Nothing so Gryffindorish. He simply switched to darker curses, his mouth set and his eyes hosting a dangerous spark.

Severus had gotten nearer, in an attempt to find a better angle. He had cause to regret it as he soon found himself aflame. After getting rid of the flames with Aguamenti, he ripped the tatters of his robe away from his body. Now he was pissed. Why did they have to save Potter, he would after all find another way to land himself into trouble, his protectors, namely one Potions Master with him. Harry Potter was going to spent a great deal of time in detention once this was over.

His breath back, Draco pushed himself to sat back on his elbows. He watched, mesmerised, as his father did his own impersonation of a deadly ballerina. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he elicited to stay on all four to present as little a target as possible. He inched carefully his way to Harry, who he noticed was awake, and was about to touch him when he was bowled over by the shrinking body of the onineko. Twins Reductos, curtosy of Lucius and Severus crashed to the ground, missing their intended target by a few scant centimeters.

A smothered "Maaa!" hold the hands of the Slytherins as they witnessed Harry's flailing arms and legs waving around as he tried to find a grip to push Kirara from himself and Draco.

/Get off! I know them, they're not dangerous/

**/Says who? They attacked first/**

/I'll give you the fact that they acted a little bit on the Gryffindor's side of the scale/ Harry's voice got clearer as Kirara went to crouch protetively in front of him. Harry smirked to the three disgruntled and glowering Slytherins. He was rewarded with three very Dark Glares. His smirk widened into an wide innocent smile. /You'll have to admit that it's true. You rushed into action without analising the situation first, wands blazing, like my knights in silver and green armour./ He batted his eyelashes to the three seething Slytherins in turn.

"Potter" Severus' tone projected icicles, "you are not only grounded for the rest of the school year, but also have detention with me every time you are not in class."

Seeing Harry opening his mouth to protest, Severus' tone went from ice cold to artic temperatures. "You are not allowed to make one step out of the dormitories without one of us present, and that is not negociable." Harry fancied he could see some icebergs around his professor. "Better yet, I'll see with Dumbledore that you will be moved to the guest room in my quarters, as the only way to exit it is going through the bathroom adjoining my bedchamber."

/Don't want to…/ Harry pouted.

"It is not open to choice, Potter, you will do as I say or get expelled."

**/Kit, you only has to say the words, and I'll take you out of here./**

Harry shook his head no /I'll go with them, but will I be able to see you again/

Kirara licked the side of his face. **/Of course, Kit. I'll be there whenever you want, just say my name./**

Harry hugged the cat fiercely, but frowned when an hand wrenched them apart and pushed him in the direction of the castle.

"Walk. Now." Severus' patience, very thin on the best of days seemed to be now non-existant.

"I wouldn't dawdle if I were you, Mister Potter." Lucius smirked as Harry yelped when Severus zapped him, finding that Harry was moving too slowly for his tastes.

Kirara growled and made to jump on Severus, ready to tear him apart. Harry jumped in front of her and hugged her around the neck. /No, it's partly my fault, I shouldn't have left without warning./

"Don't forget staying all night out, disregarding the curfew, which is a serious offence."

Harry peaked through his bangs to the three forebidding Slytherins, all lined up with their arms crossed on their chests like a firing squad.

Harry winced as he took into account the wounds they sported. Draco had scratches on the left side of his stomach where the onineko's claws had connected. The wound was still bleeding. The left side of his jaw was totally blue.

Lucius had some hair burnt on his left side, and was grumbling about having to cut his hair to egalise it. His clothes were cut and splattered with blood, but his wounds did not seemed to bled anymore. He favored his left leg where the knee was swollen.

Severus had a few burns, most of them located on his arms and torso, some scratches and a deep bleeding gash on his tight.

Harry was surprised by the amount of remorse he felt. They had been hurt because of him, when he had swore to himself that it was something that would not happen again if he could prevent it.

Acting on an impulse, he slowly walked to Severus, and mindul of his burns, he gripped his arms to provide himself a support to stand on the tip of his paws. He pecked him on the lips before the Potions Master could push him away. /Earl Grey. Safety/

He skipped to Lucius and repeated the process. /Ummm. Mint and alcohol. Fierceness/

Next went Draco, to whom he gave the same treat. /Chocolate. Yummy! Protection/

He turned to go, calling over his shoulder /Kirara, will you fly them to the castle, once they snap out of it/

Kirara's tone held barely disguised laughter **/Will do Kit/**

/Thank you/

**/My pleasure/** She called back.

Harry skedaddled out of there, intending to enjoy his free time as much as he could before being forced under constant surveillance.

'Dear Merlin', 'He KISSED me. HE kissed me. He kissed ME!', 'I did not act like a Gryffindor.', 'Is this cat laughing at me?' were a few of the thoughts going through three shoked Slytherin's heads as they stood, trying to make sense of the situation and a certain cat-boy's actions.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them. Kirara is borrowed from Inuyasha.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.

You can go to http/ groups. /group/ HarryxLucius. in the challenge and plotbunnies file to try to find one for you. (HarryxLucius yahoo group if the adress doesn't come out well)

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French.

Chapter un-betaed!

/bla/ Harry-cat's mewing

**WARNING!**

**Near the end of the chapter, Harry will have a disturbing vision. I won't retell it in details, but it is suggestive.**

**The vision will be in italics and marked with /-/-/-/-/ at the beginning and the end, if you want to miss it, feel free to do so.**

Severus Snape will have a slight Stark (From the TV show Farscape) moment.

Excuses : Sorry for the long wait, but it is because :

1) chapter growing way out of length, again

2) real life interference

3) I've been mobbed by plot bunnies. I'm not sure I'll have time to write them, though. If you want a description of them, mail me.

4) hesitation about whether or not putting the vision, or merely mentionning it.

So, without further ado, enjoy!

Chapter 8 – Repercussion and presents

It took a few minutes, but the three Slytherins finally shook their shock enough to be fully functional again. Their first course of action was, of course, to carefully and covertly look around them, in case somebody else had been inconscient enough to follow them in the depths of the forest and witness their discomfort.

"Where's The Brat?" Draco's enquiry brought them all to a stop as they descended from Kirara's back. They stared at each other before hurying to the edge of the forest, Draco blinking when he heard his habitually stoïc godfather swearing worse than a drunken sailor. He came out of his stupor to glance at his father who elegantly shrugged a shoulder before following his friend. He noticed his father's index, as if of its own volition, was lightly caressing his lips.

Draco cursed under his breath as he suddenly realised he was the only one left with Kirara, whose shoulders were suspiciously quavering. He abandonned all pretenses of aloofness and rushed after the adults Slytherins. He caught up with them in the gap ending in a path leading to the castle.

He sighed happily at being out of the oppressing forest, and blessed the luck which had allowed him to catch up with his father and professor before being spotted, coming out the Forbidden Forest by himself. The perfect ending for his disastrous morning would be to get a detention for going to save Harry The Brat Potter, not that he needed it, of course.

"Hagrid!" barked the Potions Master as he closed in on the gaping half giant. Fang whined, and, its tail tucked between its hind legs, seeked refuge from the enraged professor behind Hagrid's tree like legs.

"Where is the menace to society known as The Brat?"

Hagrid's mouth opened and closed, not a sound emanating from it. Fang whined. Beyond irritation, Severus Snape was now fuming with anger, which made his voice all the more deadlier. "Where did Potter went from here?" he carefully enonciated.

"To the castle, he went. Was making a weird noise, scared Fang, he did."

Snape rolled his eyes and, turning on his heels, departed to the castle's doors at a near run.

Draco blinked for a second or two before turning to his father. He was the first to voice his thoughts. "Should we go and rescue Potter?"

His father smirked. "No, but it should be fun to be witness to him being embarassed for once." They hastened after the Potions Master.

Once alone, Hagrid relaxed from the at attention position he had assumed when being interrogated by the scary Slytherin. Fang stayed a good minute hiding behind his legs to be sure that Severus Snape would not come back to torment him.

As soon as they were nearing the Slytherin part of the castle, both Malfoys had only to listen to the echoing roaring ire of the Head of Slytherin to guide them.

"Well, Severus sure has a good pair of lungs." Lucius commented as they stepped through the Slytherin dormitories' entrance.

Draco worked on refraining from snickering, but it was made all the more difficult by the scene they had stumbled upon. Severus was towering over a yawning teen-cat who had obviously been disturbed from his nap, and was rubbing his eyes with the back of his left paw.

The claws of his right one were firmly planted in the nearest of the fire couch's fabric, as were his back paws' ones.

His anger blinding him, Severus wrapped one of his long arms around Harry's waist and tugged sharply. Harry, anchored by thirteen small sharp hooks did not move an inch. Disgusted, Severus gave a last tug to no avail.

Harry, disgruntled at having his nap shortened in such a rude manner, grumbled something under his whiskers before leaning to rub his cheek against the very irate professor's chest, pushing the folds of the fabric this way and that till he was satisfied with his work. He then transferred his right paw's claws to the left shoulder of Severus Snape, allowing him to make himself comfortable on his least liked professor's chest. He then went boneless in sleep, purring, not caring at all that he was hanging half of the couch.

Severus' shoulders went even more rigid than before as he was stunned speechless by the impudence of the bane of his existence.

It was a muffled snicker which drew Draco's attention to their audience. Crabbe and Goyle were staring, mouthes agap, as the Gryffindor Golden Boy was desecrating their beloved Head of House. Seated on a sofa to the left were Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson, who was hugging a cushion to her mouth to stiffle her snickering. Straining his ears, Draco listened to what Blaise was telling her. He was puzzled to hear. "Trust in his sheer dumb luck, detention for at last three months."

Pansy, having regained her cool, contered. "Stupid Gryffindor thoughtlessness. But the Headmaster won't let it last this long. One month." They nodded to each other, shook hands and placed one galleon each in an enveloppe they sealed close.

Draco shook his head. He couldn't believe his housemates were betting on Potter's detention. He morigenated himself for losing track of his surroundings and glanced back to the drama at hand in time to see his godfather marching Potter to the door by the mean of his tail, which he had clutched in his fist.

Harry was flailing his arms about, trotting to keep in step with his Potions Professor's longer steps, all the while protesting the abuse his tail was enduring.

The two blond Malfoys walked leisurely after them, curious as to where the dark haired Slytherin was taking The Brat. It wouldn't do, afterall, to have him off the Saviour of the wizzarding world in a fit of rage. They were reassured when they noticed that they were being led into the Potions Master's office. After a quick ingestion of healing potions to cure their wounds, a blood resplenishing one for Severus, and the judicious application of an anti burn cream, as well as an healing charm to Lucius' knee, they were as good as new.

All the time it took, Severus kept a tight grip on the Wandering Menace's tail to keep him near.

"We're going to the Headmaster's office Potter, and I don't want to hear a peep from you." Severus warned him.

Lucius, the corners of his lips quivering up, stopped Draco from following them further. "Don't bother. Go and get some sleep, you must be exhausted after this trek. I'll make Severus tell us anything, anyway. I'm going to excuse you from your morning classes, and get a little bit of sleep myself. I'll come and wake you up in time to eat."

Draco nodded gratefully to his father and made a hasty retreat to his bed. He succumbed to the call of sleep with a smile on his lips, and the image of Severus dragging Potter along by his tail.

Severus and his reluctant charge had reached the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office without encountering anybody, which relieved Severus a lot. He was already dreading having to explain the situation to biased students while they were attacking him from all sides attempting to rescue their precious boy wonder.

With a last shiver at the scenarii his over active imagination was suggesting him, Severus outglared the stubborn stone guardian. Once they had stepped on the revolving stairs, Severus released the Menace's tail. He made sure that Harry was in front of him and maintained him there by a hand on his shoulder.

The boy-turned-cat protested but quickly clutched his abused tail between his paws and proceeded to lick flat the disturbance Severus' tight grip had let on his fur.

Severus sneered at him behind his back. Harry continued to cheerfully ignore him. 'I must be mad. That's the only logical explanation I can find. Why else would I be going to propose to house The Brat in my own quarters?' his thoughts took a tangeant. 'Maybe the Dark Lord will agree to my retirement on the base of insanity?' He slapped the hand not holding the primping menace's shoulder on his face. 'He will bring me to an early grave!' He glared at the oblivious teen's back.

They were greeted upon entrance by a twinkling eyed Headmaster who offered them tea. Snape refused for them both, seeing as Harry had went to sat in front of the fire for a full primping session.

Severus began to explain the situation to the Headmaster with a lot of gesticulations, enhanced by his robes. Harry watched him, entranced. He discreetly bat at the pirouetting robes each time his professor's pacing brought him near the fire.

Like a good procuror, Severus detailed each and every offense Harry had commited in all his scholar career, year by year as a prologue. He then moved on Harry's greatest offense yet. Dumbledore was impressed, and couldn't help to think that Severus would make a great Shakespearian actor.

Half way through his rant, Harry lost interest and went to pounce on a sun ray reflected by the many shining knicknacks the Headmaster had accumulated through the years.

Severus ended his indictment of Harry by informing Albus Dumbledore of Potter's new housing arrangements.

Harry was sulking; Dumbledore, in his humblest opinion, had relented a tad too readily to his professor's wishes, and so Harry's move has been decided. Tonight he would sleep for the first time in Severus Snape's guest bedroom. Dobby had been sent to retrieve Harry's trunk and belongings from Gryffindor's tower and to bring them to his new room.

The only concern the Headmaster had and voiced was that a special ward be put on Harry's door, so that nobody could gain entrance should Harry not allow it. The rumors that could arose got all the blame, as if Severus would condescend to touch The Brat in such an inappropriate maner! First, he had no wish to ever visit Azkaban again, thank you very much. He may not be a nice man, but a child molester he was not. And secondly, it was Harry bloody Potter, for Merlin's sake!

As if sensing what his employee was thinking, Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling like mad, added "Well, I'm sure you are irreproachable, but you know how rumours go. If I remember correctly, in your last years, there was one stating that you were in an happy relationship with James Potter, and that he had to win a duel against professor Slughorn for the right of courting you!"

Harry, who had abandonned his game as the sun had been covered by some cloud, had instead focussed on his Slytherin's facial expressions. They had ranged from righteous anger (as he related Harry's last stunt) to total fury intertwined with loathing as Albus had evoked the possibility of the world at large thinking that the stern man would touch Harry in such a manner.

All this had faded into a look of unmistakable horror and incredulity, complete with gaping mouth, when the Head of the Pride, no the Headmaster, Harry corrected himself as he blinked at the new surname his subconscient decided to bestowed on the old professor, mentionned that particular rumour.

The Headmaster waited patiently for the immobile man to come back to his senses as he sipped his tea and entertained both Harry and himself by producing coloured sparks from the tip of his wand for Harry to bat at.

They both turned to look at the Potions Master when they heard him splutter. Dumbledore put his wand on his desk and steepled his hands as he peered at the flustered man who didn't seemed to know what emotion to settle on.

Scorn at such a ridiculous rumor, horror and disgust that Albus found it worth remembering, really, him and Potter senior, who would believe it... and something he couldn't quite identify.

With an inarticulate growl, Severus grabbed Harry's wrist and made a diplomatic retreat lest he forget himself and murdered his employer.

Dumbledore chuckled as the door to his office slammed. For a man of such intelligence, Severus Snape was deceptively easy to rile up. All you had to do was mention James Potter, and off he went...

Harry was running to keep in pace with his Severus, who was nearly running himself, as if the more distance he could put with the frightening conversation he had with the Headmaster, the earliest he would forget it. Harry had taken to made a little jump and let Severus' tug carry him farther ahead before touching floor again from time to time. He eyed the incoming stairs with excitement. Just as the Potions Master's long legs were descending the stairs two by two, Harry reached the top landing. He carefully put enough strength in his jump and leapt. 'Weeeeeeeee! I'm flying like a kite! Now, how could I guile him into doing it again?'

His plotting came to an abrupt halt as the tip of his paws made contact again with the ground, unbalancing him and sending him to crash into his professor. Wincing, he closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the verbal abuse to begin. But his Severus surprised him by manhandling him instead in front of him and covering the delicate furry ears with both large hands. Harry opened his eyes a sliver and noticed an amused looking Lucius Malfoy to the side. He groaned when Lucius glanced at the stairs before looking back at him again. 'Damn! Why did the Death Eater had to witness this? I'm never going to hear the end of it!'

Severus must have spoken a password because the portion of wall before them grinded back, allowing them entrance into the Potions Master's quarters. Severus moved his warm hands from the boy-turned-cat's ears to his shoulders and marched him into the sitting room of his quarters.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks as he caught a sniff of his new obsession. He squirmed around the hands weighing on his shoulders, trying to guide him into a precise direction. He even batted at the air in the direction of a smug Lucius, all the while emitting small mewls of excitement, to Severus' utter puzzlement.

They went into a little procession through the sour man's quarters, Severus keeping a good grip onto a reluctant and pouting Cat-Who-Lived's jacket to avoid him jumping on Lucius who was trailing behind, smirking at something only him seemed to know and delighting in this.

"So, Severus, why were you so in a hurry to bring Potter to your quarters that he felt necessary to do a fairly good imitation of a flying kitten to follow with you?"

Severus nailed him with The Ultimate Death Glare. Lucius smirked but desisted with his questioning. He had known Severus for long enough to know when to give the man a little peace.

They had arrived to Harry's new room, and Severus stopped, wondering how he would managed to make the boy enter without hurting him, with all the flailing around he was doing.

Lucius stepped to the rescue. He fished something from the inner pocket of his robes. "I ordered an Elf to make this. It should make all of our lives easier. Let him go when I tell you."

Severus, for lack of a better solution, nodded. Bearing a superior smirk, Lucius waved the object nestled in his fist around. Harry followed with great attention Lucius' movements, his head jerking left and right in pursuit of Lucius' fist. His mewls began to turn imperative. With a last twist of his wrist, Lucius threw the mysterious content of his fist inside Harry's room.

The dark haired Slytherin was astounded to see Harry wrenching himself from his grasp in his haste to enter his room. Blinking, he peered inside of the room to be confronted with the sight of his student rolling on the floor of his room, something small and brown clutched between his paws while his hind paws were scrambling madly. Shuddering, Severus wasted no time in closing the door firmly. He sighed when the wards hummed to life.

He goggled at Lucius for a good five minutes before finding his voice. "What was that, Lucius, that had The Brat's tail in a twist?"

Lucius added a touch of evilness in his smirk. "Why, Severus, curious? Don't worry, it is nothing dangerous. Just a customised cat toy." He rolled his eyes when Severus frowned at him. "Just a leather mouse stuffed with catnip, I swear on my magic, it's nothing else!"

Severus turned on his heels with a suspicious snort. To whirl right back when Lucius muttered "mother hen". He pointed his wand right between Lucius' eyes and grounded between his teeth, his eyes flashing death. "What?"

"Moisten. I need to moisten my face with hot water before I shave or I'll irritate my skin."

"Whatever."

Lucius waited for Severus to have left to the bathroom before he sighed loudly. He slumped against the wall. 'That was a little too close for comfort. But how could I guess that he would react so strongly? No taunting on this subject then. But it will bear further investigation.' Lucius straightened himself and went to knock at the bathroom door. "I'm going to see to my personnal hygiene. I'll join you in the Great Hall for beakfast. Oh, and don't wait for Potter, a little bird told me that it is highly improbable that he should join us at all today." He left without waiting for an answer.

After a hot shower and a shave, Severus felt human again. Enough, at least, to swoop on late students and scare them half out of their wits. That reassured him. Dealing with Potter hadn't softened him up at all. With a new spring in his step, he made his way towards his seat. He even afforded himself to sneer in the Gryffindor table's direction, enjoying the reactions he got in response.

Severus' monday morning was peaceful. No Harry Potter to annoy him with his existence. Neville-I-should-never-be-allowed-near-a-cauldron-even-empty Longbottom was letting the know-it-all Granger do all the work, so no risk of explosion. His only regret was that Draco beeing absent, he couldn't flaunt his excellency at potion in the Gryffindor's face. Well, a man had to take his pleasure where he could, and even him, Potions Master extraordinaire, couldn't always obtain what he wanted.

Back in his quarters at the end of the day, Severus knocked on The Brat's door. Draco had joined the student populace for lunch, ready to bask in his housemates' admiration for his heroïc participation in Potter's "sauvetage", all the while sending superior smirks to a baffled Gryffindor table's direction, revelling in knowing something they ignored concerning their Golden Boy.

Nobody had seen neither tail nor whisker of the Cat-Who-Lived all day.

Irritated by The Brat's lack of answer, Severus banged against the door and decided to taunt him into opening the door. "Still alive in there, Potter? I wouldn't want your corpse stinckening my quarters. It's time to go to dinner, don't you want to reassure your adoring fans that I don't have you chained to the wall or dissected to use as potions ingredients?"

He was nearly smacked into the face when the door opened. Seeing him, Harry squealed and instantly squatted down to bat at the hem of his robes. Counting to ten slowly in his head in all the languages he had mastered, Severus took the opportunity to look into Potter's room. It was a total war zone. The covers, as well as the sheets, had been bunched in the middle of the bed around the pillows, leaving the matress bare and forming a comfortable nest. The trunk had been knocked down on its side, its contents strewn across the floor. A sock had even landed on the candle placed on the nightstand. Potter's schoolbooks were peeking from under a shirt big enough to fit Hagrid, at least in Severus' opinion.

Being such a net freak, Severus was beyond horrified. He bent to grab Harry under the armpits to bring him to eye level. "I will **not** tolerate such untidiness in my quarters. You will **not **turn my quarters into a pig's den. You will **not** go to dinner till everything is in its rightfull place. Do you understand?"

Harry glared while his stomach grumbled.

Severus decided to bring the big guns in. "Do it or I'll confiscate your catnip mouse."

Harry gaped at him and squirmed to be let go. Once on the floor, he turned to face his room. With a simple wave of his hand, the trunk set itself on its foot, the clothing folding itself and landing in perfect order inside of it. The books climbed along the desk's legs and piled themselves perfectly. The parchments ordered themselves by subject and the inkwell settled near with a quill, ready for use.

Harry turned towards his bed and waved his hand. The pillows went back to the head of the bed, the sheets and covers smoothering themselves. Harry smirked smugly, the times he had spent at the Burrow helping Mrs Weasley in her house chores had been put to good use.

He frowned as he remembered his professor's menace and mewled "accio". A small brown object flew in Harry's direction. He craddled it protectively between his paws and his chest, glaring at his Potions professor, and carefully edging his way around the looming silhouette near his doorstep.

Severus recited his new mantra of 'Must. Not. Kill. The. Boy.' a few time, adding 'too bad I can't even hurt him a little. Ah well, there is always the detentions and point taking. At least he is considerate enough to give me a few excuses to take some points off…'

"Potter" he sighed, "could you skip the theatrics, please? Let go of the damn toy and go to dinner. I'd like to have some food left, if you don't mind."

Harry shook his head negatively, squeezing the toy harder against his chest. He took a small sniff of it and smiled beatifically.

Severus was quickly approaching the last border of his patience. "Potter, enough is enough!" He whipped his wand. "Accio cat toy!"

The little mouse extracted itself from Harry's grasp and flew towards the professor. Just as he was getting ready to catch it, Harry jumped and grabbed it back, twirling around his professor gracefully like a torero evading a charging beast.

Aggravated, Severus followed him out of the room at a more sedate pace. He tried again. "Potter! Aren't you too old to bring your toys to dinner?"

Harry turned to face him, eyes tearing up and lower lip quivering in a pout. /But Lucius gave it to me/ he pleaded.

Severus stared hard in disbelief and Harry took that as his cue to disappear to dinner, grinning.

"What was that?" wondered Severus. A thought occurred to him. "The little pest! He made me forgot that he is not supposed to roam the halls by himself! Wait till I find him!"

The fuming Potions Master hastened to dinner, looking for the brat wonder along the way. Harry, conscient of the state his professor was in, had decided not to push his luck and had ran directly to the Great Hall. The smell of food luring him in with equal force as the want to made himself scarce for a while. No need to aggravate his case, after all.

Severus strode in the Hall, his robes billowing angrily behind him. His first glance was to look for Harry. Seeing his mop of hair poking from behind the taller frame of the youngest Weasley boy, the dark Slytherin took his place at the Head table, near a smug Lucius.

Lucius looked into Severus' dark eyes before glancing in The Brat's direction. Again and again he continued until Severus got his drift and looked for himself. His glare sent the Weasley boy recoiling on the bench, giving him an unobstructed view of Harry Potter, munching on small bites of steak, mewling something between each mouthfull.

Severus groaned when he noticed the mouse's brown and round leather nose peeking from the breast poket of Harry's vest. He wanted to groaned anew when he noticed the amused looks the Granger Know-it-all was giving an oblivious Harry. No doubt she had recognised the toy for what it was, being used to deal with her bad tempered excuse for a cat. She was probably the one to place it in the pocket too. 'At least it won't be dirtied' a part of the Potions Master's brain thought appropriate to tell the rest of his brain.

He scowled when he spied Draco sneaking on the occupied teen-cat, one furry ear swivelling in the blonde's direction the only parcel of attention Harry deigned to divert from his meal for Draco. The Potions professor noticed, in passing, that The Brat had stopped mewling between each bites and seemed to blush a little, though it was hard to tell with those whiskers. He went on dividing his attention between the food and the confrontation he could see looming as the Weasley boy began to redden and stand up.

"Relax, weasel, I'm just here to remind to your friend, here, that he is not permitted to walk on his own anymore. He now has to wait for either myself, professor Snape or my father. Unless you want to aggravate your case, scar head?" He let the sentence trail as he did a double take when he noticed the mouse. "By the way, I like the new attachment, Potter."

Harry's entire head whipped towards the blond Slytherin, his lips pulled back to reveal menacing tooth, which bore a very good resemblance to fangs. His eyes darkened and narrowed, shooting an entire gunsmith's stock at the slight blond.

Draco held both his hands, palms up, towards the hissing teen. "Relax, I'm just making conversation. Where did you get it?" His charming smile looked a bit strained.

He had apparently said the right thing because Harry stopped hissing. He grinned innocently.

/Why, Ferret boy, your father gave it to me./

Draco hid his shock by blinking rapidly several times. "How…nice of him."

/Yes, I thought so too./ Harry was warming up to the subject, his mewling gaining in speed./He had it customised especially for me, too. He even ordered his Elf to make it for me/ He lifted his shoulder to bring his new treasure into biting range to lift it out of his pocket. He then delicately settled it, almost lovingly, on a clean spot of the table. He proudly showed it off.

/It's all leather, and not too thin, too! And it's soft! It is self repairing, so I can nibble on it all I want, too! And it's stuffed with catnip/

Draco nodded, appearing impressed. 'I bet Father did it for the sake of his favourite pants.'

Harry sudenly turned to glare suspiciously at Draco. /You're not going to steal it, are you/

"In front of the whole school and my father? Even I am not that stupid, Potter."

They were interrupted by a sudden howl. Harry flattened his ears against his skull.

"What! You accepted a gift from Malfoy! Are you mad, Harry! It could be a portkey to get you to You-Know-Who!" Ron Volcano Weasley had erupted. Draco wondered idly if maybe his grades would improve should he be kept in a constant state of angerness. He came back to awareness just in time to notice Weasley advance his hand to try and take Harry's mouse away.

Harry swated the offending hand away, all claws out. Ron screamed, falling to the floor and clutched at his bleeding hand.

"Harry, why did you do that for?" he wailed.

/My mouse, mine/ Harry warned him, snarling, tail whipping left and right.

Hermione quikly went to her fallen friend and helped him to stand. "Ron, you should have those looked at, they are pretty deep scratches! Really, you should know better than to try and take Harry's mouse. Cats don't like thieves…" The rest of her speech was muffled as they stepped out of the Great Hall to go to the infirmary.

Draco smirked. 'I can't wait to see their reaction when they are told that Potter must now room with Snape!'

He slowly and carefully neared the irate teen-cat, and made a show to pick the leather mouse up, shivering slightly under the close scrutiny he was under. He kept the toy on his open palm, being careful to let Harry see it at all time, and slipped it into Harry's breast pocket. He patted the slight bulge. "There, all safe. Niow, how about a game of chess before I fill you in on the lessons you missed?"

Harry nodded and bounded after him, his tail flicking leisurely behind him, outburst forgotten for now. He paid absolutely no mind to all the stares trying to burn a hole in his skull, or his befuddled friends trying to make head or tail of his behaviour.

Both students were so engrossed into their transfigurations revisions that they did not, at first, notice Severus' presence. It was only when he reached over Harry's shoulder that they realised he was with them. Harry gave a little squeal of surprise and jumped on the table, squatting low and scattering their books and parchments. He settled on an half snarl, his tail moving left and right with the regularity of a metronome.

Severus' only sign of interest was a raised eyebrow as he turned the object in his hands to observ it from all angles. "What is this **thing** supposed to be?"

Draco shrugged as Harry jumped lightly from the table and, putting his chair back on its feet, sat in it. Draco fianlly commented "I have absolutely no idea. A cross between a cup and an inkwell, I'd say. Potter's slight linguistic problem is interfering with the results."

The eyebrow climbed a few more degrees towards its proprietor's hairline. "And what was it originally?"

"A quill."

The eyebrow hesitated between 'you're joking' and 'I'm surprised and a tiny bit impressed.' "Yes, I see how that could be a problem. I'll add it to the list of Potter's oddities. For now, it's time to go back to your common room, Draco."

Draco nodded obediently and gathered his school belongings. He walked to the door. Just before going out, he turned back to the two people left in the room. "Potter, would you agree to join the Slytherins' study groups in Transfiguration and Charms, and tutor us in DADA?"

/But given the reputation of your study groups, the only subject I would be good enough in to join is DADA.../

"You need to give yourself more credit, Potter. You could be quite good if you applied yourself, and didn't let Granger do all the work."

And that was then that Harry Potter surprised both Slytherins, for the second time this day.

/And what would I get in exchange/

Draco raised an eyebrow while Snape, who had more experience, covered his surprise with a much practiced frown. 'It seems like an anathema, hearing those words coming from Potter's mouth...' the traitorous part of his brain commented.

Draco finally answered. "Name your price." He was waiting for an answer like 'leave my friends alone' or 'stop sabotaging my potions'. For those, he was prepared. But it seemed to be a day of surprises for the two Slytherins.

/Tutoring./

"In?"

/Potions. Politics. Wizzarding history and customs. The whole shebbang./

"Alright, Potter, we'll devise a schedule tomorrow, if you're still alive, that is." Draco winked at Harry, nodded at Snape and closed the door softly.

"He'll inform the Slytherins. Go to your room. The candles are charmed to extinguish themselves at ten."

Left alone, Severus settled himself comfortably in his favourite armchair with a stiff drink, his eyes never leaving the strange and tormented object that had began its life as a quill. Time passed, but the transfiguration hold.

He had just eased himself into a light doze, precursor to a deeper sleep when he was suddenly woken up by a scream, soon followed by another, an another, which could have been just an echo... It was hard to tell as they seemed to be just an uninterrupted one. Severus shivered in the dimly lit room, goosebump raiding his body while he tried to reassemble his scattered thoughts, his heartbeat resounding in his ears, drowning the sudden and deafening silence.

Gathering his scattered wits, he gradually came to recognise his surroundings. He had fallen asleep, again, in his armchair. Had he been the one to scream like that? He couldn't remember having a nightmare though. And his experience in the Death Eater fold had ensured that he had planty of folder for real looking nightmares, which he always made a point to remember, as he felt that was part of his penance.

He was beginning to master his reflexive fonctions again, and he understood that he couldn't have been the one to scream as his throat didn't felt as is it had been scrapped raw by sandpaper.

He nearly jump out of his skin at Potter's sudden apparation. The boy had tears flowing down his cheeks and was running towards his professor's chambers. He could only stare unblinkingly as Potter skiddered to a halt and turned towards him, ear first.

For a few seconds, he stared at a stunned Severus before rushing to jump on his Slytherin's lap. Without losing any time, he slid his paws back and forth along his professor's arms and chest, as if to reassure himself of Severus' corporal reality. Once satisfied that this was no illusion, he locked his arms behind the professor and hid his face in his neck, furry ears tickling the professor's jaw.

Severus was taking a deep breath, ready to push the irritation-made-boy to the floor the hardest he could but the feeling of a growing dampness just below the collar of his shirt detained his hands.

He grabbed the boy by his shaking shoulders and pulled him away enough to look at him. He winced at the wet patch adorning his shirt. The Brat continued on crying, sniffling to avoid letting his nose run. Harry's breath was hitching and he was whispering /alright, you're alright/ between great gulps of air and new sobs while clinging to his professor.

Seeing him in no way able to speak, and not wanting to wait till the boy was calm enough to speak rationally, Severus decided to resort to Legilimency.

The scene he suddenly found himself visioning rendered him nauseous.

**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-**

_The Dark Lord was standing in front of his followers, torturing two muggles._

_The first one he boiled alive, the second he made her heart explode in her chest._

_Once the bodies had stop jerking he turned towards the Death Eaters with a wide grin._

"_And that is how all muggles should be treated, my Death Eaters. At least the useless ones. They do put a good show while dying, don't you think?"_

_The smarming crowd agreed noisily._

_Voldemort stepped finally away from the mangle remains of his lastest preys and signalled for two bulking masked wizzards, that Severus identified as Crabbe and Goyle seniors with ease, to dispose of the bodies._

_They incinerated them with glee._

_Voldemort smirked chillingly. Severus felt like ice had been poured down his back. He knew what this special smirk meant. The Dark Lord was very pleased with himself, and more by the turn the event will take in a few seconds._

_He thundered "Bring the traitor forth, let us play with him a bit."_

_Four men entered, a single emaciated chained up form being levitated between them. From the state the man was in, it was certainly not the first time he had been 'played' with, but he still held his head high proudly as he defied his torturers with his glare._

_Voldemort glided to him and cupped the naked man's cheek with mock affection. His eyes swept over the bleeding scratches and the darkening bruises with delight._

"_Lower your eyes, traitor!"_

_The man's glare only intensified in response._

_Vodemort punched him in the jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor. He looked down on the captive._

"_Finally in your rightful place. I'll leave you one more chance, my stubborn traitor. Where are the Order's headquarters? Where is Potter?"_

_Severus Snape stared mutely at the ceiling._

_Voldemort cackled with pleasure. "That's what I like about you, my stubborn traitor." He turned to the men who were eyeing the sprawled man with lust shining from their eyes._

"_He is yours to play with, but remember, don't hurt him too much, he provides such delicious untertainment." He bent to whisper in the prostrated man's ear. "I will see you broken, my proud traitor. I can still give the counter-order if you start speaking now. You would be healed and feed. Of course, you'll still have to pay for your treachery. Malfoy and the others have so much fun with you, I think it only fitting to reward my **faithful** followers. You **do **make a superb courtisane. Malfoy has already volunteered to properly train you…" He trailed, waiting for an answer, which never came. The glaring Potions Master only spat in his face._

_Voldemort growled and stepped back, letting the circle of his minions closed in on the chained man. But, no matter how many men forced themselves on him, hit or hexed him, Severus Snape never screamed, plead or begged. And that angered the Dark Lord greatly._

_Voldemort stopped the proceedings with a wave of his hand. He circled the bleeding and panting man slowly._

"_How many times will we have to do that again, Severus? Stop being so Gryffindorish, it doesn't suit you. Last chance before Malfoy's training, Severus, and don't think this to be an empty threat. Where is Potter? Where are your sons?"_

_Still no answer._

"_Well, seeing as brutal force left you indifferent, we will try another form of torture. Perhaps that a life of degradation and shame will do the trick. Lucius, take him away. I'll visit you in a fortnight to see what progress you'll have accomplish."_

_Smirking excitedly and leering at Severus, Lucius bowed deeply in front of his Master before portkeying the shivering captive away._

**/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-**

Severus reared back from the vision. He now understood what had Potter so frazzled.

He blinked to try and dispel the last fragment of the vision, shuddering with disgust. He knew that Voldemort was evil, but that… went far beyond what he could have imagined. And Lucius had been so eager to hurt and defile him… His mind went back to the detail that invalidated all the vision. The detail that didn't fit.

"Potter?" Severus was very proud of the fact that his voice didn't crack or wavered. 'Of course it's only one word. Let's try for a complete sentence before we congratulate ourself, hum?' his mind reminded him. Severus was glad to welcome his sarcastic side back.

'Now, next topic in order. Shake the damn brat off, pour a dreamless sleep draught down his throat, tuck him so tight that he won't be able to stand up alone, and off to enjoy my hard-earned rest I am.' Severus nodded decisively, pleased with his decision.

He sighed as he lowered his gaze to the teenager who was currently clinging to his chest like a mussel to its rock.

"Potter, let go of me!"

Harry shook his head in denegation and tightened his grip. /No, you'll disappear/

"Potter, don't you understand? This was a fake vision!" He enunciated the following words slowly, articulating carefully. "I. Do. Not. Have. Children."

Misted green eyes peered at him owlishly. /You sure/ he mewled.

"I think I would remember it if it was the case, Potter. Now release me and go back to sleep."

Harry didn't move.

"Potter, before you were merely annoying. Now you are bordering on hurting me. Stop molesting me ! Let. Me. Go. At. Once!"

Potter yawned and rubbed his cheek on his professor's chest. / Safe./ he mumbled at least.

'Must. Not. Kill. The. Brat' had became the professor's new mantra. Seeing as he was not sure he could dislodge the Annoyance-Made-Flesh before morning without suffering great damage due to the boy's claws; and longing for the comfort of his warm bed, Severus came to a conclusion. It was not a very good idea, and Severus was sure he would regret it come morning, but it was all he could think of at this time of the night.

He shook Potter's shoulder. "Potter, we can't sleep here."

Harry sprung up, his eyes holding a touch of panic. /Now, you'll disappear/

"Potter, stop being childish! I will certainly not disappear. However, I am under no delusion that you will let me go to bed any time this night, so, to appease your little Gryffindorish mind, I will, and for tonight only, let you share my bed."

Harry reran his professor's sentence in his head to be sure he had caught and understand all of it.

"So, tonight, and tonight only" he stressed the last word, "you will share my bed as I can't be bothered to shake you off. Though I warn you now, any snoring or cuddling will get you thrown out faster than you can spell 'disapparate'. Am I clear enough for your miniscule brain?"

Harry nodded and got up, taking great care to keep an hand on his professor at all times. He meekly followed his professor, still rattled by his vision.

In the bedroom, Severus pointed to a side of his bed. "Your side." He pointed to the other "My side."

He glared at Harry. "My side, your side. My side, your side. My side, your side. Do not trespass."

Harry nodded sagely.

Snape sighed and snapped. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get into bed!" he ordered.

Harry scrambled to obey. Once settled, he felt a warming charm taking effect. Tired, he yawned but struggled to keep his eyes open. As soon as his professor was settled, with much grumbling, he scurried the nearest he could to the middle of the bed.

Severus woke up at dawn, a purring brat curled on his chest as if he was a pillow. He briefly toyed with the idea of expelling The Brat from his bed, but fatigue won and he shrugged and went back to sleep.

'I could get used to that.' Was his last coherent thought before he sank into deep sleep once again, a man voice's murmuring "I am so proud of you, Severus Snape" in his ear. Severus felt his heart warming in his chest.

In a burned down mansion, on a miraculously intact portion of wall, a tall mirror blinked with light thrice before disappearing.

Its reapparition on a stone wall went unnoticed by the two silhouettes curled under the covers.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.

You can go to http/ groups. /group/ HarryxLucius. in the challenge and plotbunnies file to try to find one for you. (HarryxLucius yahoo group if the adress doesn't come out well)

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French.

Chapter un-betaed!

/bla/ Harry-cat's mewing

Excuses : Sorry for the long wait... I swear, one day I'll learn to go from point A to point B without swerving to A1, A2, etc...

I also will stop watching TV, as it bring new plot bunnies to life in my brain. I had an idea for a LM/JP while looking at Jurrassic Park... And another one while re-watching Harry Potter and the Prisonner of Azkaban.

I'm also never letting my two years old nephew near my notes and a chimney again. Never.

By the way, something I always forgot to add... I know that cats can't digest cow milk. But Harry is half human, so he can. And cats drinking milk is something of a cliche... that I couldn't let out.

And yes, Hagrid spoke like Yoda, in the last chapter. It is because he hastened to add some more information before the fuming Severus could ask. Hagrid obviously didn't want to spend more time than he had to being interogated by Severus.

So, without further ado, enjoy!

Chapter 9 – Mirror, oh my mirror….

Severus woke up later than what was usual for him, at least if he based himself on the light permeating from the enchanted window. He voluptously stretched, noticing with a smirk that, this time, he was able to do so without exterior trouble.

He sat deeply lost in his thoughts for a while, staring at his covered legs, a frown maring his brow. 'How strange,' he thought 'that this had been one of the most restful nights I've had since a long time, despite its shortness, and considering who my bed partner was…'

He suddenly sat straighter, and suspiciously looked around the room when he noticed how quiet the bedroom was. 'Where is The Brat?'

He suddenly blinked when his eyes found themselves confronted with a pair of deep onyx ones, his heart missing a beat in fright. How was it possible that he had kept sleeping while somebody entered his room, letting The Brat out at the same time?

He sighed deeply when, a good five minutes later, he realised that there was no one else but him in the room, and that the pair of eyes that had been worrying him were, in fact, a reflection of his own in the mirror hanging on the wall ….

He suddenly snapped out of it and jumped out of bed, putting his housecoat on and, though he would deny it even faced with the evidence, snuggled into it. He then strode to get a good look at the latest addition to his quarters. Mid-step, he felt a slight resistance in the air. With a 'pop' sounding like a soap bubble being bursted, the silencing charm Harry had set up to cover his doings up went down.

Wincing as he was confronted by a sudden hoo-ha, Severus did a double take as he finally found the missing Brat he had looked for earlier. At first glance, it appeared like Harry's head had been somehow turned upside-down, with apparently no damage to his health, if the sound level was any indication.

The thrice accursed teen-cat was crouched on all fours in front of the mirror, shoulders and bottom up in the air, while his tail was doing a fairly good imitation of a question mark. His head was bent so far to the right it appeared to be upside-down. He suddenly rolled on the floor, craning his neck at almost impossible angles to try and get a good view at his reflection, giggling all along. Severus' looming presence seemed not to bother him at all. 'Well,' Severus' sarcastic side sighed in regret'it's hard to look intimidating in a black housecoat, and with your hair sleep mused'. Severus grimaced in disgust, why did he had to deal with Potter this early in the morning, without proper ablutions….

The newly awoke, and already in a bad mood, Slytherin was speechless with surprise and stayed standing where he stopped, nearly gaping at the Gryffindor striking poses in front of a mirror, splitting his sides laughing. 'And making an awful racket in the process' Severus winced. He rubbed his face in his hands and groaned. 'Why me? By Salazar's left knee, haven't I been punished enough for my past sins? There's only so much I can take, and so soon after waking up, too!'

The Potions Master sighed. "Potter!" he roared. "What in all the circles of Hell are you doing?" His eyes goggled as Harry jumped to his paws, clapping his front ones to applause him. It was a good thing he was not aware of what was going through Harry's mind or he would have vigorously protested at being compared with a lion.

Counting slowly backwards from ten to one, Severus took a deep breath before ranting on. "Was it an absolute obligation for you to bring a mirror in my room just to engage in such a frivolous and childish activity? Couldn't you have the decency to stay in your room so that I wouldn't be subjected to such a disgraceful and Gryffindorish behaviour upon my waking up?" Yes, he was on a great form this fine morning, if only Potter could look more cowed…

Harry used the time of his professor's tirade to look him over with great care. His grin widened when he noticed that his Slytherin was alright, though, knowing how private and modest he was, Harry refrained from hugging him.

He pouted and tried his best kitten eyes. /I didn't. It was already here when I woke up./

Severus frowned and pinched the base of his nose, his fast mind changing tracks. "Potter, you're not making any sense. Till this morning, there have never been a mirror on this wall. Everybody knows that, even in our world, mirrors don't appear by themselves in closed and warded rooms. Ergo, you must have done something."

Harry shook his head wildly. /I didn't./ He decided to appeal to his professor's professional vanity. It may be just the thing to tip the balance in his favour. /I'm even ready to testify of it under your veritaserum, but only yours./ He lifted big wet and innocent eyes to his professor's own.

The Potions Master's frown took a more pensive tinge before his face hardened as he nailed the ill at ease teen-cat with one of his hardest glare. "Even in the highly improbable event of your innocence, Potter, didn't it occurred to you, well of course not it didn't, what with the empty place between your ears that you managed to coerce other people into thinking is a brain… Well, as I was asking, didn't it occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, this could be the result of dark magic?" Severus prided himself on the fact that he didn't raised his voice to shouting level during the enonciation of his last sentence.

Harry nodded, a very slight smirk hidden under his whiskers the only indication of the fact that he was not affronted by his Slytherin's opinion of him, but still acting like he was. /Of course I did! That was even the first thing I thought of!/ He huffed for show. /I cast a protego on you, and went to flag the Headmaster in the floo. At first he didn't understand, but once I managed to convey how urgent it was for him to come, he did. I showed him what the problem was, and wrote to him that it hadn't been here in the evening when you showed me round your quarters. He tested it, the only magic he could find was a translocating spell, an unknown spell derived from a switching hex, a dark magic repellant charm and, lastly, that an unbreakable potion had been sprayed on it beforehand./

Severus' eyes went comically round. He couldn't believe he had been asleep through all of this. Harry's next sentence confirmed his worst thoughts.

/Besides, the Headmaster knew about me not being authorised to get out of your rooms alone, he promised to go and get the Malfoys, because he said you needed the sleep, and Lucius agreed, and/ His words nearly trampled over each other as he tried to get all the relevant information out before his Slytherin exploded, which event seemed to become nearer and nearer by the minute. /Lucius put a sleeping hex on you, and Draco stayed with me all morning, and we worked a schedule for tutoring, and Lucius took over your classes, and.../

"Potter!" Severus howled to make himself heard above Harry's babling.

Harry, occupied to get his breath back answered simply. /Mia?/

"Morning?"

/Mia!/

"Morning?" Severus' voice climbed in incredulity.

Harry couldn't believe that, of all the details, his Potions professor had decided to comment on this one. He began a hasty strategic retreat. /Well, the Headmaster said you could use the extra sleep, Lucius concured./

"Morning?" Severus cut in calmly, his tone inversely proportional with his anger, a sign all students who had studied or were studying potions with him learnt to recognise early in their first year. It was the tone called 'Shelter, every student for itself!'.

Harry gulped and made sure he had the door opened before he uttered /It's nearly dinner time?/ He peaked at the stormy face of his dark haired Slytherin, squeacked and retreated into the living-room.

Dumbstruck, Severus considered going back to bed and pulling the covers back over his head, not giving a damn of the rest of the world if this was how they treated him. But it was not worth the more than probable visit the Headmaster would pay him later.

Neither did he want to act all Gryffindorish and rush out to face the gossip mill the whole school was.

Shrugging, he decided to settle on a middle solution. A long and hot shower, and then getting dressed in his favorite robes with the extra row of buttons would be enough of a detaining technique. Granted, it would not give him nearly enough time for the great sulk he thought the situation deserved. But nobody would bother him during that time, and it was better than being subjected to Dumbledore's dissapointed glances, and not to forget those blasted lemon drops he was always trying to foist on him, and, the worst in Severus'eyes, his never ending tirades, or rather monologues, on unity, cooperation and necessary sacrifices.

He nearly marched right back to his room when Lucius stood up from the armchair he had been occupying with an amused eyebrow quirked up. And, to add to his humiliation, both Harry and Draco were seated in front of the fire on his persian rug. They were going over a book, whispering back and forth, giggling occasionally.

"So, Severus, slept well? I hope Potter didn't wake you up too rudely. We feared for a while that he had just decided to crawl besides you to get some sleep himself."

Severus sneered at a smug Lucius. "No, although his attention got diverted by a mirror, of all things. It shows you the levels to which Gryfindor's house has sunk since our years."

Lucius quirked the left corner of his mouth up, which was his way of showing his amusement. He went back to serious quickly. "Yes, about this mirror, I'd like to run a few tests, if you would allow me to?"

The Potions professor just waved him away and reclaimed his favourite armchair. Lucius came back a few minutes later, his face blank. He sat heavily in the armchair facing the one Severus was ensconsed in, and rubbed his face with his hands.

He sat up to explain what he had done and the subsequent results, when he noticed that Harry and Draco had siddled closer to hear what he had to say. He frowned. He was opening his mouth to sent them away but refrained from doing so, thinking that things were already going downhill, and he knew that, even banned from the meeting, Harry would still try to find a way to unearth the informations he felt he needed to know, endangering himself in the process.

"Lucius, could you please refrain from the suspens building pause? All right, we're already on titters, waiting for the fabulous information you're going to provide us with. Now speak!" Severus ordered.

Lucius bit back a grin. There was his sarcastic old comrade. "Hold on your hyppogriffs, Severus! I ran all the tests I could think of. I even had Dumbledore's permission to try some darker ones. But all in vain, as I came up with nothing more than Dumbledore did. Oh, yes, as I was getting ready to come back here, my reflection suddenly morphed into yours as a teen who winked at me before sticking his tongue out."

Severus' eyes narrowed. "A prank then. Did you try the 'back to the sender' jinx?"

Lucius refrained from rolling his eyes as he clearly wanted to but answered "Yes, I did."

"And?" Severus drawled.

"It left all right, but came back right after. With a sticking charm."

"Do you mean," Severus' tone reminded Harry and Draco of the one he had perfected for Neville, just after his usual survey of the mess Neville had created and before he gave the boy numerous detentions, smooth and full of deadly promises "that, not only something we know nothing about, and thus, potentially dangerous, is still in my rooms, but that **you** managed to make it **worse**?" He exploded.

Lucius blithely waved the dark haired Slytherin's objections away. "You'll manage. Now, what about dinner?"

Both teenage boys agreed noisily.

Lucius turned from the door and called to Severus "Oh, and Severus, stop playing woe is me, lose the buttons, live a little!"

The three other could only stare as Lucius-I'm-an-iceberg Malfoy skipped out of the room, whistling a merry tune on his way.

Severus, horrified, resumed their thoughts. "The idiot had to go and get himself cursed to top it all!"

They all sprang to their feet and rushed out of the room in pursuit of Lucius. All of them were determined not to let him appear in public in the state he was in. Even the possibility of an armful of blackmail material was not attractive enough compared to the endless possibilities of Lucius' revenge. And frankly, blackmail material was better kept in the familly.

Severus and Draco, who were feeling oddly protective of Harry didn't want him to be subjected to Lucius' vicious ressentment. The Dark Lord would, afterall only be too happy to have Harry handed to him on a silver platter, in the purest Slytherin traditions.

As it was, it was Harry who reached the blond snake first, and only because his transformation gave him the advantage.

As the pursuers reached the stairs leading to the upper levels of the dungeons, Draco winced as well as he could in his breathless state. His father was already at the bottom of the ones leading out of the dungeons. There was no way they could manage to reach him in time.

Severus briefly entertained the notion of using Stupefy, but Lucius would then drop on the floor and maybe down the stairs. And getting him hurt would not go well with Lucius once he came back to his senses. He fall back on Accio but the spell fizzled out of existence before it even reached Lucius' back.

Harry let himself fall on all four to climb the stairs, his longer lower limbs enabling him to rapidly gain ground on Lucius. Enough to stop him at the last landing before the Great Hall. And stop him he did. He sprang from the stair he was on right onto a startled Lucius' back. He crossed his paws around Lucius' neck and anchored his claws into the robe's shoulders. Fatigued from his mad rush, he simply dangled limply there for a while, fighting to regain a normal breathing rhythm.

Oblivious to everything, namely Lucius' tries to get him off his back, and the thunderous black cloud hovering over his fuming Potions professor's head, Harry burried his nose into the surprised Slytherin's neck and inhaled deeply. He purred for a bit, then struggled to catch his breath, purring anew once he got enough breath to do so, getting breathless, and so on and so forth.

Once more in control of his breathing pattern, he glided the tip of his nose on the whole length of Lucius' neck till he could murmur in his ear. / Dine with us in Severus' quarters?/ his voice was audible honey and silk, something he had perfected during the last summer.

Lucius nodded dumbfully and whirled on his heels. 'Well, it's a start, at least he is facing the right direction…Gah, I've been spending way too much time with the head of all things that are Slytherin lately. Still, who would have thought that the great and mighty Lucius Malfoy was so easy? Or is it that I discovered one of his weak spots? Or is it because of the curse he is under? Note to self, practice sneaking into Snape's shelves to research.' It was a good thing Harry could keep his face blank when he wanted it, or he might have been in a great deal of trouble.

Harry dropped to his paws. His legs were still shaking from exhaustion, making him topple over to his knees. Lucius turned at the slight noise of discomfort Harry emited. He hastened to the teen-cat's side, his face drawn into an out of place frown of concern.

He squatted near Harry, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Draco and Severus were slowly climbing the stairs still separating them, after-shock and subsequent relief hampering their speed.

Harry looked alternatively between the concerned Lucius and the approaching Slytherins, an idea beginning to take form in his devious little mind.

He bent to whisper to Lucius. /You remember that mirror you tested?/

Lucius frowned thoughtfully for a few seconds before he nodded.

Harry played coy, hiding his sparkling-with-mischief eyes under his bangs, drawing little circles on the stone floor with the tip of one of his claws. All in all, the perfect image of shyness. 'Time to test the waters, bait…'

He began to speak before faltering, sighing deeply before seemingly finding the courage to go again. /Well, it seems that the mirror somehow put a sort of cheering charm on you, making you act out of character…/ He ducked his head, looking to the side to gauge the others' advance. Satisfied that he still had some alone time with Lucius, he went on.

/We didn't want you to be ridiculed in public because of that, so we ran to catch up with you./ Harry sighed when he was jubilating in his head '…hook…'. He let his shoulders slump /And now I'm all exhausted, I couldn't put a paw before the other, even if Voldemort himself was to appear on top of those stairs./ He pouted and turned his best begging eyes to the compassionate Slytherin. '…line…' He mock hesitantly hold his paw out. /Make me fly? You know like Severus did?/ Lucius was happy to acquiesce.

Harry cheered inwardly '…and sinker!' when Lucius grabbed his wrist and tugged, bringing him to his feet. Harry's paws tingled all the way to his knees. Grimacing, he wobbled a bit on cotton paws before letting himself fall on Lucius' chest. He inhaled deeply and sighed happily when strong arms encircled him, anchoring him against Lucius' body. Harry smiled when he noticed that he was kept there a little bit longer than was necessary for the restauration of his circulation.

He revelled in the big warm hands rubbing his back and the cheek nuzzling his hair. As much as Harry would have liked to spent the rest of his evening where he was, he still had to act before the others either reached them or thought to use magic. He tilted his head back to look Lucius in the eyes as well as to check on the others.

/Make me fly?/ He whispered, reluctant to break the serenity of the moment.

One of Lucius' hands went to cup his cheek. They spent a few seconds staring into each other's eyes.

"Lucius!" Severus' voice whipped in the still air, startling the two out of their daze.

Grinning like a mischievous boy, Lucius murmured "Let's go!" into Harry's ear, his breath ruffling the fur of Harry's ear exquisitively and doing all sorts of interesting things to his stomach. He beamed somewhat nervously at Lucius.

Gaping, Draco and Severus could only stare at them as a chuckling Lucius ran past them, tugging a laughing and flying Harry behind him. They stopped in front of Severus' door, waiting for the two late Slythrins to arrive.

The first to regain mobility was Severus, who, although he had been higher on the steps than Draco, still managed to be the first to swoop down on the couple grinning at his door.

He opened the door and stood there, a dark personnification of doom, his index pointing to the inside of his quarters. Lucius slunk in while Harry skipped along. Draco had just enough time to slip in before the door was slammed shut, the usual wards coming to life.

The Potions teacher took a deep breath to let his opinion be known but Harry cut him to it.

/I brought him back without anybody seeing him, if I managed to still get blackmail material out of it, what's it to you?/

Severus' mouth audibly clicked shut. 'Uninterrupted exposure to Slytherins is good for the boy's intellect…but me think the lad passeth to much time with me. I certainly can't let him be cheeky enough to try and out-Slytherin me.' He shook his head to dispel such thoughts, now was not the time. He blinked as he took Harry's appearance in. Something shining pinned on the right breast of his Gryffindor's robes had caught his attention. He examined it and blinked in disbelief when he recognised what it was.

"You do know that, as a student, you are fed, Potter. Or are you so afraid you'll starve that you felt the need to start making food stocks and pining them to your robe?"

Unbalanced by the unexpected change in subject, Harry blinked stupidly at the metallic piece of diced bacon he arbored proudly. He beamed at his dark haired Slytherin.

/That's because I'm the pet project of the Sprog./

An interogative eyebrow prompted him to continue.

/The Slytherins created it. It's a play word with the french slang term for a child, as I am an apprentice honorary Slytherin. It stands for Society for the Protection and Redeeming Of the Gryffindors./ He bent towards his professor and spoke conspiraciously /They're trying to subvert me./

"And you of course, have no heroïc idea of transforming the Slytherins from within or such nonsense?"

/Whyever would I want to do that? As long as they're trying to change me, they're doing my work for me. It would be stupid of me to flaunt our cooperation to my housemates. They would either give me hell over it, or try to get their own Slytherins. I'd rather be the only Gryffindor with Slytherins public relations directors. It might give me a much needed edge, don't you think?/

Severus noded, he couldn't find a flaw in Harry's reasoning.

"I'd say their job is done." chuckled Lucius.

Draco tapped his index against his chin, in a mocked 'thinking' gesture. "Well, we still have to see if the transplant will hold. And Potter was already part Slytherin, or so he pretends. It will be interesting to see how much exposure to Slytherins will change him if at all. Or if exposure to one lonely Gryffindor for an extended length of time could be detrimental to us. Or if both parties will manage to gain something from this study, perhaps some hired men? Imagine what brain-Slytherin and arms-Gryffindors duos could do! We would even make the Headmaster happy enough about our cooperation to be able to conquer the world without him interfering!" Draco's enthousiasm was perceptible to all adults. It was clear that what had begun as jest could easily grow into something else.

Harry's mood took a turn to somber suddenly. /I'd say you already got a hired man, as I am the whole wizzarding world's one./

The moment was brightened by Lucius when he exclaimed "Oh, poor you!" before rushing to hug Harry tightly, his hands rubbing the purring teen-cat's back.

"There, all better?" he beamed, one of his hands finding its way behind Harry's ear to scratch it, which increased the level of the puring.

They disantangled when Severus snorted. "Let's cure Lucius before he finds other ways to embarrass himself and us at the same time."

/Can't we keep him like that?/ Harry purred.

Draco pouted, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Lucius. He was on his feet in a flash. "Oooooh, Draco wants a hug too!" and dashed to his son. He grabbed him and manhandled him into his embrace, one hand going to ruffle Draco's perfectly combed hair. He cheerfully ignored his son's complaint of "Not the hair!"

As soon as he let go, Draco grimaced and fingered combed his hair into some semblance of order. He pleaded with his godfather. "Change him now!"

Lucius who had just sat down, sprang back to his feet and walked to his former housemate, arms open, ready to bestow a hug on the horrified man. Severus whipped his wand from his sleeve and pointed it at Lucius. "Don't you dare, you maniac!" he warned him, while standing, poised on the verge of fleeing.

"Come on, just one hug, Severus, it'll make all your worries disappear! Double strength, just for you!" Lucius beamed, reaching for him.

Severus struck "Finite Incantatum!"

For a few seconds, Lucius stood there, keeping the pose. Just as Severus was beginning to think it hadn't worked, and readying himself to take further action, Lucius let his arms drop to his sides. He groaned and sank into the armchair Severus had vacated seconds before. He hid his face behind his hands.

When he looked back at them, his face had been carefully blanked, his eyes shuttered closed. "What will it take to keep you quiet?" he asked to divert their attention from his fumbling for his wand.

/Expelliarmus!/

Lucius' wand flew from his sleeve in a graceful arc before it landed into Harry's paws. Draco rushed to catch it before it could tumble to the floor. Harry nodded to him before using what he had dubbed his 'special walk' to ensure he had the attention of all the Slytherins present in the room. It had worked so well on Draco before that Harry didn't doubt its success. He smirked when he noticed that Lucius' eyes, like all the others', had been glued to his swaying hips the whole two minutes it had taken him to reach his goal. He even felt a few straying looks finding their way to his arse. Severus and Draco then, as they were the only ones being behind him.

Harry decided to commit this interesting piece of information to memory for later use and enjoyment. Right now, he had a snake to seduce. He felt proud of himself, it was not, afterall, your average Gryffindor who could hypnotise three Slytherins just by walking to one of them. So, his summer's forced job of menial labour for his new neighbour, from mewing his lawn and helping him to settle his furnitures in place, to doing his grocery shopping, and more importantly, helping him rehearse and ameliorate his show had been worth it. It had kept him out of the Dursleys' for quite some time, he got to keep the tips his uncle didn't know about, unlike his salary, he discovered some truths about himself, a whole new world, new friends who were not pining all their hopes on him or trying to hurt him, and new and useful talents. All treasures are not gold, finally.

He cleared his throat, the only sound in the room apart from his Slytherins' heavier breathing. It brought their straying thoughts back to the present. Harry decided to up the stakes, and so he rubbed Lucius' tense shoulders with the pads of his paws. He gracefully lift one leg to settle on Lucius' tights, rubbing his cheek along Lucius' face. He gently kissed the corner of Lucius' mouth. Lucius gulped, and aborted his movement to push Harry away.

"Potter!" Severus roared.

Harry hissed at the interruption and turned to glare at the Potions Master. /I'm trying to avoid us being obliviated, so shut up!/

Severus was outraged, his eyebrows locked into an impressive frown, his hands curling into fists and relaxing as he was burning with rage and something he had not expected at all, something which restrained him from taking immediate action; something he finally admitted to identify as jealousy. He chose not to dwell on where this sprang from and opted to watch the processings.

While Severus was engrossed in his little introspection, Draco was gaping admirously at Harry and reflecting that maybe he had not been joking about his Slytherin tendancies. He sat to admire Harry's work, his mind going over every times he remembered crossing path with Harry or just watching him from afar. And came to the very disturbing, to him, idea that maybe there was more to the Gryffindor golden boy than met the eye.

Harry decided to verify if the neck really was one of Lucius' weak spots. He buried his nose under Lucius' jaw and began to give his neck small swipes with the tip of his tongue. He cheered inwardly when Lucius shuddered and groaned. Harry then stopped his teasing to approach his mouth of Lucius' ear and murmur in a sultry tone, making sure his breath puffed against the delicate shell of the ear. /You're not going to obliviate us, are you?/

He then nibbled a bit on Lucius' earlobe before bathing the small punctures with quick swipes of his nimble tongue and going to alternate nibbles and small kisses on the waiting neck. Lucius gulped, tilting his head back slightly to give Harry better access. He was completely under Harry's spell.

Harry twirled his tongue into the small indentation between his collarbones that was now peaking from the collar or the shirt. He smirked as he heard the pitch in Lucius' breath. Going up the long white neck in the same fashion he went down it, he settle to murmur /We swear we will not say a word of this incident. In exchange, you will owe us a favor of similar importance, is that all right with you?/

Lucius nodded eagerly.

/You swear?/ Harry insisted.

Lucius whispered "Yeeeesssss." sealing their pact, as Harry was sucking on a mouthfull of skin of his neck. Harry inspected the hickey for a few seconds before grinning wickedly. 'Let him try to explain that'

Harry clapped his hands and jumped to his feet. He ran to Draco, burried his claws into his sleeve and tugged him to the door. Before exiting, he cheerfully called to the two men /We're going to get food, be good!/ The thump of the closing door brought Lucius back to the matter at hand.

"What just happened?"

"It's the end of the world as we knew it."

"This is glum, Severus, even for you."

Severus hissed, and rounded on a still seated and a little dazed Lucius. "You were seduced by an underaged student, a Gryffindor student, if I might add, who cajoled you into being his yes-man! By Potter, for the sakes of all that is Slytherin!"

If Lucius had been standing up, he would have found himself suddenly on the floor as his legs felt like they couldn't support him any more. "Oh my…what else?"

"What else? He asks what else!" Severus nearly spluttered. He wouldn't have been more frantic had Sirius Black suddenly declared he wanted to spend the rest of his life worshipping Slytherins, and Severus Snape in particular. "You just promised not only not to obliviate us, but also agreed to trade our silence against a favour of equivalent value, that's what else! Not to forget that you let Potter decide what **he** considers equivalent value!"

Lucius blinked in shock and spent a few minutes thinking things through. He shrugged as he decided to adopt a 'wait and see' approach. "Let's just drop the subject till a better time, shall we?" He asked his fraught comrade.

Severus reluctantly agreed. Lucius was sporting his 'resolved' face, Severus knew there was no way he would budge from his decision.

They spent the next half an hour it took the boys to come back with the promised food in silence, each deeply lost in their thoughts.

The door banging against the wall brought them out of their day-dreaming. The two boys waltzed into the room, Harry with the handle of a full basket firmly clapped in his mouth, Draco following with a tray, on which bottles of butterbeer, jugs of pumpkin juice, a steaming kettle and cutlery were sharing space.

"What took you so long?" Severus wanted to know, if he couldn't vent on Lucius, he might as well do it on Potter.

Draco snickered and Harry blushed. "The food was ready in a few minutes, but Potter kept on letting the tray fall to the floor. After the two first times, I decided it would be easier for me to carry it and gave him the basket. And this is the way he took it."

"Five points from Gryffindors for not thinking to have the food delivered." Severus smirked.

Harry gaped at him, the basket falling to the floor. A glint of anger lighted up in his eyes before Harry blushed and ducked his head. /Yeah right, it's not as if Malfoy thought of it too…/ He mumbled on his way to the table, the basket floating behind him.

They ate without speaking, though Harry hummed his praise to the godesses under his breath. It would not do to reveal this to his Slytherins, or he might end teased nearly to death.

Curiously, the atmosphere was not the heavily akward tense and uncomfortable atmosphere it could have been after such a display, but it had more of a homey and amicable feeling to it.

Severus nearly groaned when he felt a stare intrude on the degustation of his only guilty pleasure : a cup of his slighlty over-sweetened prefered blend of tea, a gift from a tibetan friend, the perfect blend, according to Severus, between the red bays it was flavoured with and the tea itself.

Sighing, Severus turned to his left, blinking rapidly to avoid being blinded by Harry's best hanged kitten's eyes. His pout was a master piece, too, impressing both Malfoy favorably. Even if he couldn't remember how he knew that, Severus knew with absolute clarity that, not only did it meant nothing good, but also that he was defenceless against its use.

/Can I go to the Gryffindor tower tomorrow after class? I'll bring Draco. Can I, can I, can I?/ Harry was jumping in his seat, so eager to go he was.

Severus, not about to let him know the effect the eyes used in conjoncture with the pout had on him, pretended to frown and think about it. He sighed, eager to get rid of the insupportably bright teen cat before he lost his sight. "As long as you don't 'accidentally' loose Draco on your way and are back before curfew, I don't see why not." He couldn't resist to add a slight barb to take revenge against Harry's disrepect earlier. "If you are late, even for five minutes, you will suddenly find yourself lacking something you absolutely don't want to lose, am I clear enough?" he grumbled, his black eyes sweeping over Harry, coming to rest on the slight bulge in his chest pocket. He had the satisfaction of seeing Harry's smile dim as he hurried to nod, pressing slightly on the slight swell betraying the presence of his beloved leather mouse.

Harry, not wanting to tempt the devil, bounded to bed early.

Lucius and Draco left shortly after, both silent as they were trying to make head or tail of the Wizarding wonder's behaviour of this evening. They couldn't refrain from feeling a tiny and grudging spark of respect and admiration towards the way Harry had masterfully manipulated a chief manipulator like Lucius. They parted ways after Draco's comment of "It must be impregnation. After all, Severus was the first person he saw after he woke up as a cat…"

Severus came back to his room after making sure Harry was in his room. He leant against the closed door. He was delaying the moment to undress for bed, partly because he wasn't so tired after sleeping the day away. And partly because he was incomprehensibly reluctant to undress in front of the mirror, his paranoïc side wanting to make sure before that it was not the magical version of a muggle recorder.

He stepped away from the door with a sigh and went to pick his nightgown and housecoat up from where they were laying on he bed. As he turned on his heels to go to the bathroom, he found himself having the thrice damned mirror in his sight of view. The mirror which was not reflecting his bedroom. But another one. An occupied one.

Severus' eyes widdened as he took the sight in. An immense bed of dark mahogany wood, very dark red curtains cocooning three of its sides, the fourth left open, which allowed Severus a good and unobstructed view of the two occupants nestled into black, dark and light grey pillows.

One was lying flat on his back, his arms pulled over his head and possibly tied to the headboard, if the silver silk rope was enough indication.The elbows of the uplifted arms were hiding the face from view, but the short hair and flat heaving chest were all males.

Between his legs, another male was cradled, his hands gliding on the other's straining arms and chest, eliciting small hitched moans. He anchored his hands under his bound companion's shoulders. The sheet, just a tad lighter than the curtains, was barely covering the essentials. Severus watched on, barely daring to breath, as the second male dipped his head, raining open mouthed kisses on a well muscled breast, before circling the hardening nipple with his tongue, wrenching more moans from his lover before he began to suck. Releasing the hardened little nub, he gently blow on it, delighting in the increased moans.

Severus was shocked when the teasing male suddenly lift his head, smirking at the longing and breathless moan his lover made. Instead of giving into his lover's want, he turned to wink at Severus and drew the curtains closed. As if it had hit a switch, the mirror graced Severus with his own bewildered reflection. His cheek tinted the slightest of pink, his breathing heavy, Severus stared a few minutes at himself. He bent with difficulties to retrieve his night wear, which had fallen down from nerveless fingers during the show. Why did such a short and tame show affected him such?

He fled into his bathroom, shivering slightly as he noticed that a part of him had really appreciated the show and was now standing at attention. Even the fact that he had recognised the teasing male as himself in his teenage years was not deterrent enough for the misbehaving part of his anatomy.

Spooked, and embarassed enough for the night and not to say the week after that, Severus cast a locking charm on Harry's door, as well as a silencing charm. He disrobed, avoiding looking at himself as he busied himself with settling the temperature of the water perfectly and stepped into the shower. He simply let the water sooth the worries away for a while, before he reached for shampoo, delaying washing to give himself time to recuperate. Having washed his hair twice, he gave a scathing glare at mini-Severus which kept waving at him for attention.

Sighing, he set to answer the clamouring need for attention of certain parts of his body. He carefully washed himself once done, drying quickly. He shuffled back into his bedroom, regretting that there was no way one could cast obliviate on himself, unless he wished to end like Lockhart. His last thought made him pale. How was he supposed to explain what the mirror showed him to Dumbledore?

Harry was, to all appareances, a perfect little angel this wednesday, at least where Severus or Lucius could catch sight of him. What they didn't know couldn't hurt them, now, could it? So what if Flitwick suddenly sprouted mouse ears and a tail? Harry couldn't be the culprit, he was chasing his leather mouse that had flown out of his pocket half way through the lesson and kept running away from him just as he was about to catch it as somebody kept waving it around in the classroom.

Just because the stones professor Mac Gonnagal had prepared to distribute to the students for today's lesson suddenly changed into a flock of mice, which scuttled away all over the classroom leaving panic and hysteria in their wake didn't mean it was a trend.

And Harry couldn't be hold responsible for this, as he arrived after the battle because of a well timed lavatory trip. As soon as he opened the door, a few rodents climbed over his foot in their quest to freedom. He reacted quickly and began to chase them to the great displeasure of the Transfiguration teacher. The whole lesson was spent rounding the mice.

It was not his fault, either, if some of the Gryffindors boys kept a few of the mice they caught to release during divination. They couldn't understand his mewling, how could they have plot together?

It was a happy Harry was skipped to his former dormitory even if he was still a little bit angry at both Ron and Hermione for the last Hogsmeade week-end. Draco raised an eyebrow at such an infantile behaviour. It would seems that there were even more layers to Harry than he thought before. 'It's a sort of chameleon behaviour," he mused, 'Harry acts like the majority of the people surrounding him expect him to. With some unexpected things' He grimaced as he remembered the last evening. 'Which is the real Harry, or is there even one?'

Harry had knocked on the painting of a fat lady, waiting more or less patiently for it to open. As soon as he had stepped paw into the Gryffindor common room, he had been engulfed into various welcome hugs.

Frowning, Draco fall to the background to observe Harry's interactions, noting how he adapted to each new interlocutor. How he made himself clearly unthreatening while 'speaking' to Longbottom. How he bounded in place while listening to the hyper Finnegan. How he bent over Granger's shoulder to listen to something she explained.

He snickered delicately as Harry enthousiastically hugged her tightly. He bit his lower lip as Granger's part-kneazle cat bounded out of nowhere to them and began to hiss at Harry. He and the Granger girl jumped apart as the orange menace began to swipe at Harry's legs all claws out.

Taken aback, Harry retreated, jumping from one feet to the other to avoid the attacks till he found himself apparently far enough from the Granger girl to suit her cat's tastes.

Crookshanks then huffed as if to say good riddance, turned around, tail held proudly in the air and went to seat before Hermione's foot, puffing his chest and purring with the satisfaction of a job well done.

/What happened here?/ Harry was opening wide eyes, it was apparently the first time Crookshanks had reacted this way towards him since he had been 'cattified'.

/I swear, it's like he doesn't want me near Hermione, like he's trying to tell me to stay away from his human!/

'One oddity more to add to the puzzle that is Harry Potter' Draco thought before Harry forcefully dragged him to the gaggle of Gryffindors to translate. After a few distrustful comments concerning Draco's truthful traductions, Ron finally settled down as Hermione commented that Harry would have reacted somehow if Draco had volontarery mis-translated.

Draco had to remind Harry of Snape's menace on his leather mouse before Harry agreed to leave. They had to rush Harry's goddbyes and hasten their pace but they were just on time, if a little out of breath.

Severus stopped Harry as he was going to his room. "Potter, tomorrow you will wait for Lucius to take you to the Great Hall. There is something I have to discuss with the Headmaster." It was evident, from the expresison etched on his face, that he would rather be everywhere else, even facing Voldemort, than at this particular meeting.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.

You can go to http/ groups. /group/ HarryxLucius. in the challenge and plotbunnies file to try to find one for you. (HarryxLucius yahoo group if the adress doesn't come out well)

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French.

Chapter un-betaed!

/bla/ Harry-cat's mewing

Excuses : Sorry for the long wait...

Real life's been accelerating lately... Roughly a month ago, I lost my last grandmother, she entered the hopital for cardiac surgery on a thursday, her heart stopped, and she was put into medical coma the next monday. She died the tuesday after.

My parents had to fly back in urgence to France from China, as did my little sister, while my older one drove from Britain with her husband and two years old son. My grandmother was buried the next monday.

And then I had the first step of an exam to take for becoming a civil servant. I passed, and tomorrow is next step, the third being later in the month.

After the exam, I left for a week in Shanghaï, followed by five days in Japan, where I managed to write the three thirf of the chapter.

Now that I could put my hands on a computer with working spell check, here comes the new chapter. Poor Severus...

Hermione's theory can be credited to akuma-river, who wondered if Harry could only speak to Slytherins because his bow was green.

So, without further ado, enjoy!

**Chapter 10 – The Gryffindor version of the spontaneous generation**

The disgruntled Potions Master took another halting step towards the Headmaster's office. He was a sight to behold, he, who was ordinarily standing so proudly straight backed, his face impassive, was now deeply sighing every three minutes, his shoulders were slumped and the corners of his mouth were slightly dropping.

He rolled his eyes and straightened his posture as he saw the gargoyle coming into sight. Everything was, after all, a matter of appearances. If you appeared confident, you had a better chance of bluffing your way out and winning the wagers. He gave the gargoyle this week's password.

Once on the revolving stairs, he carefully went over the pruned version of the events he was about to relate to the Headmaster. 'You know you have reached the deeper levels of insanity when you're beginning to hope and actually pray for a summon to occur to save you from a crafty old coot' he berated himself. He breathed deeply for a few seconds before knocking decisively on what resembled, to him, doom's door.

Once inside, he was promptly bid to seat. He took advantage of the Headmaster's offer of a cup of tea to delay the inescapable, going as far as accepting a lemon drop, to the Headmaster's great delight. A little handy trick helped him to store it surreptitiously in his pocket.

"Severus, my boy, what drove you away from your beloved dungeons on such a beautiful and sunny day?" Dumbledore began joyously, uncaring of Severus' obvious flinch at the sight of his bright twinkling smile.

In hope of telling his piece uninterrupted, Severus skipped the pleasantries and launched right into the thick of the story.

"The thrice accursed mirror, which took residence on my bedroom wall uninvited, took upon itself to grace me with a false personal vision."

Dumbledore blinked rapidly, trying to digest all the implications of Severus' lone sentence.

The Potions Master chose to take his silence as dismissal, and, congratulating himself on avoiding embarrassing questions and solving the matter in such a short time, left his seat.

He had not covered half the distance to the door before the Headmaster called him back sternly.

"Severus, come back here and explain things a little more."

'Damn! I nearly escaped this time!' Severus pouted slightly for a grand total of two seconds before carefully blanking his face again, shooting a longing glance at the door, and obeyed reluctantly.

"First, can you tell me what the results of Lucius' examination were?"

Severus bit back an umpteenth sigh. It looked like he would spent a much longer time here than he had expected. And whining would only serve to lengthened his punition. He finally answered "His try was less than successful. And now the damn thing" he spat, " has added a sticking charm upon itself!"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Well, at least it's not dark magic..."

Severus' snort cut him. "Depends if you ask Lucius. For all his trouble, he got cursed with a variant of a cheering charm."

"So, that's why you lot weren't at dinner, I wondered. Is he alright, now?"

Severus shuddered in remembrance and nodded tersely.

"Now that this is out of the way, what did you meant, 'a false personal vision'?"

Severus paled. "It reflected a different bedroom than mine, one where I have never set foot. And somebody resembling me in my teenaged years was _occupied _with another male."

The Headmaster blinked pseudo-innocently. "Occupied?"

Severus grimaced. "You won't be happy till you've made me spell it, will you old man?"

Re-apparition of the pseudo innocent blinking. Severus' rebellious glare melted away against the Headmaster's twinkling stare. The younger man relented. "They were in the early stages of love making." 'Either you enjoy watching me squirm, or you're a perverted old man living your fantasies vicariously through other people.'

Dumbledore smiled benignly. "Now, now, that wasn't so difficult, was it?"

Severus' glare intensified a few notches more. The room suddenly looked darker, just like before a particularly vicious storm. Dumbledore cheerfully ignored his fuming employee in favour of his musings. A few minutes ticked away before the Headmaster stirred. Severus was persuaded he had fallen asleep and was just waking up. The Headmaster's smile and twinkle intensified. Severus was sure he wouldn't like the results of Albus' cogitations, not one bit.

"And you said that the mirror in question... how to put it... put you as your younger self, or somebody resembling you, in a place and event you never were in?"

Severus nodded tightly.

"Does it have a frame?"

"No, why?"

"Because then, something could have been written on it."

"No, It" Severus emphasized the majuscule, "has no frame whatsoever."

"Well, it would be too much to ask for guidelines. I've always loved a good mystery."

"I don't." Severus quickly inserted. "So find a quick way to get it out of my quarters."

"Severus!" Albus admonished him gently. "Things like that take time. Unless you want to move into others quarters for the duration of the research? I think there are some free near the entrance to he Gryffindor tower..." he trailed.

Severus' glare nailed him in his seat. "With my luck, the damned thing will just show up in any new quarters I could move in. And there is absolutely no way at all, that I will let a mirror chase me all over the castle. Neither will I move in the vicinity of Gryffindors. Not to say that it would leave my ingredients stores open to thievery."

"Won't you think about it, at least? It would bring Harry closer to his friends..."

Severus had to grit his teeth to stop himself from uttering the balding hex that was on the tip of his tongue.

Albus glanced once at the fuming Potions Master before moving onto another idea. "Let's compromise!" he joyfully told the forbidding man. "I will let you stay in your beloved dungeons quarters, and you will let me ask for experts to come and examine the mirror."

Severus was defeated and he knew it, but there was no way he'd fold silently. "And who those 'experts'" he enunciated the title dubiously, "might be?" He was ready for anyone, really. From Bill Weasley to Gilderoy Lockhart, renowned expert in mirrors, not to forget Mad-eye Moody, and any Gryffindors the barmy old coot would feel the need to impose on him.

"Why, Bill Weasley"

'The one Weasley I can actually tolerate, alright' he nodded. Not that his acceptance would matter.

"And Alastor might want to take a peek at your new mystery..." Dumbledore continued.

Severus sighed. 'I knew it. What am I, a funfair attraction for bored Gryffindors?'

He looked away from the shelves and back at Dumbledore when nothing more came. The Headmaster was looking at him expectantly.

"Oh, alright, he would blast his way in anyway!" Severus' patience was waning rapidly. "Is that all?" He was already standing to leave.

"Only two others." The Headmaster was prompt to reassure him.

Severus raised an eyebrow and stayed standing behind his chair, hoping it would accelerate the proceedings, one hand gripping the back of the chair to keep him from going to his wand. 'Here it comes' he glumly thought.

Oblivious, Albus cheerfully went on "Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, of course!"

'I knew it! He's trying to make us crazy!' Severus could see it in his brain, a chibi himself pointing an accusative finger at the Headmaster, screaming in rage and stamping with fury.

Severus blinked three times rapidly to dispel the remnants of this image. He then erupted. "No! I absolutely refuse!" His hand tightened on the back of the chair, making it groan. "There's no way I'll let the Wolf and his pet Mutt access to my bedchamber! Who know what they'll do!" His grip was so tight he broke a bit of the chair's back.

He was staring, horrified, at what his hand was holding, and trying to get his wand out surreptitiously enough not to be noticed when he realised that Dumbledore had taken advantage of his distraction.

"Well, it's settled, then. I will owl them as soon as you leave, they should be here by tomorrow afternoon. You will be excused from your classes all day, and I'll arrange for rooms for all of them should they decide to stay. Harry will surely be happy to see his godfather."

Severus' shoulders sagged. "I played right into this one, didn't I?" he bitterly exclaimed.

"I don't see what you mean, my boy. I've got an idea! Perhaps you should ask your other colleagues, they might have ideas to help us solve this riddle."

Severus' anger came back full force. "How dare you!" the chunk of chair he was still holding somehow left his hand and whizzed past Fawkes, who squeaked, and right through the window.

Severus refused to hear Dumbledore's calls and stomped out of the office.

He was muttering under his breath, listing all he'd like to do in retaliation to Dumbledore when he reached his quarters. He suddenly grabbed his left arm in pain. He was being summoned.

He snarled at a playing Harry as he rushed past him to retrieve his Death Eater apparel. He stopped just long enough to order Lucius to cover for him before rushing outside.

Lucius blinked from his armchair and shrugged before accio-ing Harry's catnip mouse. Harry grumbled a bit at being deprived of his toy till Lucius reminded him he still had classes to attend.

Severus apparated to Riddle Manor, still fuming. He entered the old ballroom and faltered in his steps, uncertain. He was sure he was not in the firsts to arrive, but presently, it was only him, Lord Voldemort, and one anonymous and masked Death Eater. Severus mechanically went to kneel at the feet of the snake like man who liked to think of himself as his master. He kissed the hem of his robes.

"Rise, Severus, my spy. How are things at Hogwarts? Any promising students?"

"None apart from some Slytherins." Severus minutely relaxed, he was used to those one-on-one sessions being initiated out of the blue.

"And what is new on the Potter front?"

Severus thought hard on his answer for a few minutes. "Since Dumbledore forced me to house him in Slytherin territory, as well as forced the Slytherins to 'make him feel welcome', some of my snakelings have taken upon themselves to try and subvert the Gryffindor. It might take some time, as he can be a bit clueless, but it is doable, as one conversation he had with his friends and that Lucius overheard tend to show."

"Just because you have some autonomy in your spying does not give you the right to presume to tell me what to do, Severus."

Severus prostrated himself at the Dark Wizard's feet and apologised profusely. Voldemort revelled in this show of power, as Severus knew he would and didn't curse him.

"Your idea has merit, though..."

Severus stayed kneeling and silent, keeping his eyes fixed on the dirty floor.

"I think it is time we... persuaded the Black sheep to come back home. The boy may be more amenable to change sides if the ones he consider family do the same. Perhaps a Weasley or two... But let's not get over ourselves... Let me think on it, I'll inform you of my decision at the end of this meeting. What about Dumbledore?"

Severus growled and looked up, allowing Voldemort to feast on the hate he could see in his eyes. "Insufferable, as usual. He had the audacity to order me to open my quarters to a bunch of do-gooders of his choosing to examine the mirror, which appeared suddenly yesterday during the night."

"Oh, and what prompted this examination?"

Severus grimaced. "He forced me to relate in details the vision the mirror showed me."

"A vision, Severus?"

"A false one."

The Dark Lord waved to the Death Eater to come forward.

"You will bring Rabastan here to your quarters and show him the mirror in question. He'll examine it."

Both nodded, knowing it was useless to complain. Severus wondered how he was supposed to accomplish that without him running into Dumbledore, Mad Eye Moody or Bill Weasley. The two canines were not important, as there was no way he'd let them unsupervised in his quarters.

He shook himself out of his musings and lift his eyes from the floor to surprise Rabastan studying him from the corner of his eye.

"Rabastan, Severus, do it whatever way you want, but I want you to seduce Black and Lupin to our side. You might use any potions or hexes you feel the need for. It's been too long since I've had a Black at my feet. You're dismissed."

Both Rabastan and Severus nodded and left swiftly, relieved to have, for once, escaped the Cruciatus as Voldemort sank deep in thought.

They apparated together to Hogsmead village and started on the trek to Hogwarts, Rabastan's shorter legs forcing him to a near run to follow the brisk strides of Severus.

They both shed their robes and masks, reducing them before putting them in their pockets. Severus used his knowledge of Hogwarts' unused corridors to bring them in his quarters in record time, sighing in relief to notice that Harry had gone to class without letting any traces of his passage in either Severus' living room or bedroom.

After a few minutes spent looking around in silence, Rabastan asked "Where is the mirror?"

"In the bedroom. In there." Severus pointed at the right door. Rabastan raised an eyebrow at his fellow Death Eater as he settled into his favourite armchair with a glass of brandy. "Won't you be missed?" he wondered.

Severus waved him away. "Lucius is covering for me. Examine away to your heart's content."

"And you need a break from the dunderheads, I understand." Severus let him slip in his room with only a snort.

Half an hour later, as he was settling into a comfortable slight doze, including a dream of Longbottom, shackles and a potion book, he heard a strangled shout from Rabastan. Concerned for his bedroom, he rushed in to find Rabastan kneeling in front of the mirror, eyes level with those of a maybe six years old boy.

Severus incredulously stared at the little black haired boy. He snarled. "I should have known **you **had something to do with it!"

The little boy gasped and stomped his feet. He turned towards Rabastan and pointed at Severus. "Fais le partir, je ne l'aime pas, c'est un méchant!"

Rabastan sheepishly turned to Severus. "I don't understand a word he's saying."

"He's speaking French."

"Comment êtes vous entrés dans le mirroir?" the curious little boy enquired, pressing his hands flat on the mirror's surface, in a try to see if he could find an hidden door.

Severus harrumphed and whipped his wand out. He pointed it at Rabastan. "Cóng Fá Yŭ Fàn yì Dào Yíng yŭ" he spoke in a language Rabastan didn't know either and made a graceful and elaborate move with his wrist. "Now you can understand him. Come and find me when you're done or he disappears, whichever comes first." He snarled one last time at the perplex little boy before slamming the door behind him.

The little boy blinked. "Quelle mouche l'a piqué?"

Rabastan heard just after, as if somebody was murmuring in his ear "who put a bee in his bonnet?"

He smirked as he settled on the floor in front of the boy who was already adding "He will have no friends if he behave always like this."

"How true. Do you mind telling me what you know about this mirror?"

"Why?" The boy sat on the floor and hugged his legs to his chest before putting his chin on his knees.

"From what I understood, it appeared suddenly during the night, and showed Severus a scene he refused to detail and claimed never happened."

"You don't believe him?"

"I do. He's just a very private man who doesn't like to be embarrassed. What's your name? I'm Rabastan."

The boy stared at him with piercing eyes. He stayed silent for a few seconds before answering. "You can call me Louis."

"Pleasure to meet you, Louis. Now, what can you tell me about this mirror?"

Louis shrugged. "Not much. It has no frame, hang in an unused corridor in our mansion in France. It sometimes shows something other than what it should reflect. I'll try to look in the library for more informations, but I don't know if we'll see each other again. It's the first time I've seen people. It's always other places. And I try to come here often, it's less boring than Madam de Laguerray's lessons."

"I understand how tutors can be..." Rabastan commiserated.

Louis shook his head. "I don't mind learning new things, I kinda like that. It's only that she insists I learn things I already know. I try to tell her, but she makes the Grimace."

"The Grimace?"

Louis nodded. "Like this." He explained and demonstrated by pinching his lips and, frowning, looked down his nose at Rabastan as if he was a misbehaving child. "She tells me to stop whining and being a lazy boy, that she, as an adult, know better than me." He sighed. "So I give her the slip and come here. And she rats me out to my father, it's one of the only times I see him. Apart from the times when they bring me to receptions, so they can ex-hi-bit" he pronounced carefully, as it was obviously a new word he had learned recently, "me and be complimented on how well behaved I am."

"Ah, yes, parents can often be very occupied..." Rabastan couldn't help but compare his own childhood with Louis'. He, at least, had an older brother to take care of him, even if he was sometimes quite mean.

Louis shrugged. "It gives me enough time to explore on my own..." He bit his lower lip in thought. "Is Severus mean because his parents are mean with him?"

Rabastan debated within himself to know how much to reveal before answering. "I know his daddy is. He hurt Severus and his mother."

Louis nodded. "So, Severus should ask somebody to hurt his father just the same or best yet, do it himself as he's all grown up. It would show his father." He enunciated matter of factly. "Perhaps they should leave or make him leave, he is, after all the one who is wrong."

Rabastan blinked, startled by the boy's maturity. 'Out of the mouth of babes... But it's scaring to imagine ho he learnt that.' A sudden thought stroke him. "How old are you?"

Louis suddenly became fascinated by the floor and blushed. "I'm five, but I'm tall for my age. I know you find me childish, but you must remember that a child never is only a mini-adult."

Rabastan gasped. "You're not childish at all! In fact, it's frightening how mature you are!"

Louis jumped to his feet and clapped his hands in joy. "Really?"

Rabastan nodded.

"Really, really?"

Smirking, Rabastan extended his wand hand. "I swear."

Louis smiled brightly. "I wish you could say that to Madame de Laguerray. She's still trying to teach me my ABC..."

Rabastan grinned. He had long recognised the boy. 'I'm going to regret it, but it's really too tempting to play Fate.' "Well, you could always prank her."

Louis nodded eagerly. "I saw some books in the library on that. I'll go check them. I'll look for some informations on the mirror, too, good bye Mister!" He began to walk away but rushed back. "Mister?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think Severus will be happy if he have a friend?"

Rabastan frowned. "It could help."

Louis nodded and sighed, cocking his head to listen to something. "I'd better go, the caniche is yapping. Bye Mister, and thank you!"

The vision stopped as "Louis" rushed away. Rabastan shook his head in amusement, he always had been more at ease with little children. All in all, that had been an informative conversation.

As soon as he had exited the room, Severus jumped on his case. "So, what did **he** had to say?" he bitterly asked.

Rabastan sat himself in the armchair facing Severus' own. "Well, apart from the facts we did know, like it being frameless, that it hanged on a wall... It was in a rarely used corridor that a very inquisitive, intelligent and lonely five years old discovered as he was running away from an overbearing tutor who was trying to teach him his ABC while he had already been reading for who knew how long." He got up to help himself to some brandy. Severus thrust his glass under Rabastan's nose for a refill.

Seated once more, Rabastan resumed the thread of his retelling. "The wall it hang upon was in a 'mansion' in France. It could be important, I don't know." He couldn't resist to add "And he thinks that you would be happier should you have friends... He suggested that you hurt your father back or threw him out of the house."

Severus raised an eyebrow in incredulity. "So, basically, you're telling me that **he **only retaliated? And that, if, and that's a big if, it really was him, and he remembered, **I **was the one to start our feud? Because **I **somehow refused **his **friendship?"

Rabastan rolled his eyes but wisely kept his mouth shut.

Severus blinked and interrupted what promised to be a wonderful rant as the previous chibi image of himself popped in his mind, its arms crossed on its chest, a sulking pout on its face. "He started it!" It mumbled, toeing the floor with one feet.

What was new was that it was being followed by a chibied version of what Snape thought he would look like should he reached this age, complete with a walking stick. It walked with difficulties to the first one, put its hand on its shoulder to get its attention and told it " Putting the blame on others is only running from your problems. And they'll come back to haunt you." Both popped out, Severus half waiting for them to bow.

'I'm really going mad if the different parts of my mind are materialising... When this is over, one way or another, I'm taking a sabbatical. A ten years one.'

"...rus, Severus!"

"What?" he barked.

Rabastan looked relieved. "Don't zone out like that! I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes!"

"Says the man who spent forty-five minutes extracting answers from a five years old!"

"Do you want me to end the report before the Headmaster decided that now would be a good time to visit with all his experts, or should I wait for them?"

The Potions Master glared.

"Louis told me that the mirror often showed him places, it was the first time he saw people."

"We're looking for what could be a French mirror, who shows locations, known or unknown is unclear. And all based on the testimony of a five years old. A very easy task, indeed."

Rabastan grinned "Not to forget that it could be a familial heirloom... It could be interesting to have a look inside the Potter vaults, there may be a book there, or maybe Louis store his research inside it, it could be useful if such results exist..."

"I'm not taking our current Potter to Gringotts!"

Rabastan rubbed his hands on his face to suppress his rising anger. He decided to let the matter drop, he had planted the seed into Severus' mind, he now had to let the idea grow on its own.

"I suppose I could have Potter write Gringotts for an inventory..." Severus finally mumbled.

Rabastan decided to breach another thorny subject. "How are we going to manage, about Black and Lupin?"

Severus thought for a few seconds. "Giving Pettigrew to the ministry and making sure he is interrogated under Veritaserum after deleting the more important informations from his mind... Dumbledore confined Black in a house he hated because Wormtail escaped. Giving Black a more active role while making sure he still got time with Potter... Maybe making sure he got Potter's guardianship... And adding things till he got no choice but to join to reimburse..."

"And his character?"

"The perfect Gryffindor. Rash and stubborn. Always have to be doing something."

"So, no making a house-husband out of him, I got it."

Severus' glare intensified. Rabastan only grinned.

"The wolf is quite the contrary. Studious, he loves his books. He will tolerate a lot from his friends, just to keep them, as he has so few. A bit shy, and he abhors violence, a total opposite to his wolf. When he taught here, he was popular even with my Slytherins. Quite intelligent, too."

"So, you got a soft spot for the wolf?" Rabastan's grin enlarged to a small smile, while Severus' glare grew so hot Rabastan felt himself beginning to sweat. He still grinned unrepentidely. "Not to your level, I'm sure. Any potions they're immune to? What about Imperio?"

"I never care enough to discover it. Black was an Auror, I think, and maybe so was Lupin, but in the research department I think. I don't know. Why don't you ask Lucius to get their pedigree?"

"Will do, for now, I'd better go before lunch is over if I don't want to be discovered. I'll keep in contact."

Rabastan let Severus in tête à tête with his brandy and exited the quarters of his fellow Death Eater. In the corridor he mumbled an invisible spell, which would not dispel till he spoke the counter. Since he was in Hogwarts, he decided to go and see his favourite place of the castle once again. It was an old postern opening under an arbour from which wisteria flowers were hanging. A footpath began there, surrounded by deep emerald grass and winding its way to a little grove of Asian pines sheltering a moss covered rock under which a small source was bubbling joyously. It was a fairly secretive place, firstly because it began in Slytherin territory, and secondly because the pines were planted in such a way that they enclosed the source, protecting and refreshing the couples the lawn welcomed to lay under the branches.

He sighed in pleasure at being back in this place, regretting that most of the flowers had already wilted. He was to the side, caressing the blades of grass, enjoying the prickling and fresh sensation when the door opened, surprising him as he had forgotten for a few seconds that he was invisible. He was a little miffed at having to share his peace, especially as he knew how secret the place was.

He turned towards the door and felt his pulse accelerating. Speak about the devil... Sirius Black, with his arm around Remus' shoulder walked outside. He laughed when Remus disentangled himself from his embrace to run ahead, smiling as he extended his arms, threw his head back and turned on himself quicker and quicker, laughing like a child.

Rabastan, knowing how acute werewolf hearing could be he hold his breath in order to be more discreet. He was not embarrassed, if they decided to have a private moment in front of him, he would damn well look all he wanted. It was his mission to get informations on them, after all. All he had to do was not getting caught.

He smirked as Sirius bounded to Remus and halted his dancing round by tugging on his hand and hurrying towards the pines, Remus in tow.

Rabastan hesitated. He could follow them, but it would only increase the risks of getting caught. It was not worth it just to indulge his fantasies. After a last longing glance, he headed to the leafy canopy of the Forbidden Forest, towards a less pleasant task.

He quickly apparated to Riddle Mansion to make his report. He hastened to the ballroom where he was sure he could find Voldemort. He took a few moments to compose himself before knocking.

He bowed deeply on the threshold and approached with deference. Arrived at Lord Voldemort's feet, he knelt swiftly to hide his revulse at the sight that greeted him as his master's had, for once, taken his hood down.

"Rabastan, back already?"

"Yes, my Lord, I was able to examine the mirror, and we decided it would be best for me to leave before being discovered. During my examination, something happened..." He started as the serpentine man looked him in the eyes with his scarlet ones. He wanted to blink to break eye contact without actually doing it, as it could be perceived as disobedience. He found that he couldn't. Suddenly, the images of his conversation began to flash behind his eyes. He shivered as Voldemort chuckled.

"Tell Severus to be on the look-out for more apparitions of this 'Louis'. He should try and subvert him to our side. This way, getting our hands on Potter will be easier. Dismissed."

Rabastan didn't need to be told twice. He left the Dark Lord he had pledged his services to to ruminate his megalomaniac plans and exited the ballroom.

Once out of the anti-apparation wards, he sighed in relief and apparated to his hide out. Half an hour later, an Ural owl was winding its way towards its destination. It had been instructed not to wait for an answer, as Rabastan was positive the missive would not be particularly well received. 'Frankly, ordering Severus to do that is wishing for his plan to fail. Not to mention the 'seduction' of Black and Lupin! It's as if he's trying to find an excuse to get rid of Severus without it being too apparent. Or he simply doesn't care.'

While Rabastan was worrying, the Potions Master he was worrying about was staring moodily in his fire, studiously ignoring the owl, which, tired of waiting, screeched loudly, dropped the letter it was carrying in Severus' lap, narrowly missing Severus' glass of brandy. It bopped Severus on the head with its wing while hurryingly flying away.

Severus began to swore loudly and vividly when he reached a certain part of Rabastan's letter. He then paled drastically and fell silent. After having finished the short missive, he blinked, rereading it twice carefully.

For a few minutes, he stayed frozen before he began to swore a storm. As Rabastan had predicted, Severus did not, but not at all, liked his new orders. He stalked to his room and stood in front of the mirror, glaring, while daring 'Louis' to show himself so that he could share with him his views on him.

'The icing on the cake would be if I was ordered to marry Potter. I don't know why or how, but I know it's all Potter's fault!' He settled on his bed for a good sulking.

* * *

Harry, for his part, was having a good time. At first, he had not been so sure, what with Hermione ordering him and Ron to eat quickly before being grabbed by the arm and manhandled to the library.

He felt like jumping in his seat with excitement as Hermione exposed her theory.

Ron was gob smacked. "Hermione! It can't work!"

Harry nearly snickered as he saw Hermione's eyebrow twitch.

"Well," she stated primly, "and what does our expert have to say on the subject?"

Ron shuffled in his seat, uncomfortable. "It's too easy." He finally blurted.

"We won't know till we tried." The door opened, admitting Hannah Abbott and Ernie Mac Millan. Hermione waved them over. They slid into seats at the trio's side and nodded hello to Ron and Harry.

"And what are they doing here?" Ron wanted to know, pointing to the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff who looked affronted.

Draco, hidden being the nearest bookshelves, so as to not lose anything, sneered at Ron's rudeness.

Hermione whacked him on the back of the head. "Stop being rude, Ron. They're here to help me demonstrate if my theory is right or wrong."

"How so?"

"Simple. Let me repeat myself. The Slytherins can understand Harry, and his bow is green. What if we changed its colour to the other houses'? Harry, your tail, please."

Harry blinked and chose to listen to the little Draco-devil sitting on his left shoulder. /Which one?/ he mewled. He could have swore he heard muffled snickering coming from behind some nearby bookshelves.

"Harry?"

With a sigh, and tense shoulders, Harry brought his tail forth and laid its upper end on the table, the green bow in evidence, the end tapping nervously right and left on the table.

Hermione pointed her wand at the bow and began to cast. Harry regretted he couldn't cross his claws and only murmured /I hope she only change the colour of my bow, and not of my whole tail.../

A few minutes later, he was the proud proprietor of a brand new blue bow.

"Mew something, mate!" Ron urged him enthusiastically.

Harry chose prudently to listen to the Hermione-angel sitting on his right shoulder, and refrained from his first impulse. Not that the second try was better. /I found a little fishy in the whole big sea, round and round it swam... till I swallowed it!/ His smile exposed a lot of teeth.

Ernie shook his head. He had not understood. Draco was having a lot of fun behind his bookshelves. Hermione sighed.

"Sorry" Ernie stood up from his chair. "I have to go, keep me informed on the results, will you?" He left the library.

"Okay, Harry, second try."

Harry's bow turned to a golden yellow. "So, your turn, Harry."

/Oh, fair and lovely Hannah, will you be my salvation?/ Harry stared at her, using his best kitten eyes.

Hannah blushed vividly. "I'm sorry, Harry." She sighed. She got hurriedly to her feet. "I must go!" She rushed out of the library under the disappointed glances of the three friends.

Hermione went back to the matter at hand. "Third and last try, Harry. Just to be sure it does not work. Don't move your tail."

/No danger, Hermione, I have absolutely no wish to end up as a redhead. No offence, Ron. I mean, if you missed, and colored my tail, I'd then have to dye my hair, and it would be a great camouflage, yes, but I don't think red is my colour, I'd look like a traffic light!/

"Harry! Stop babbling! And hold still!"

Harry gulped. Ron, amused by his friend's antics, chuckled. Harry glared at him. /Stupid red weasel!/

"Harry! That was not nice at all!"

Harry blinked at his red bow.

Hermione sighed. "No, Harry, it didn't work. But one does not have to be a genius to understand that what you said was not very nice."

Harry sighed, his shoulders slumping. He let his head fall on the table. The slight shock upset Hermione's pile of books, sending her quill, which had been put on top of it, floating to the table. Harry's head whipped from the table to look at the quivering quill. Forgetting his concerned friends, he gently blew on it, clamping his paw on it to stop it from barrelling to the floor.

His deception forgotten for now, not that he had, contrary to his friends, hold a lot of hope in their success, but still, it would have been nice to be able to communicate with more people... A good game was what he needed for now.

He blew on the quill once more, jumping over the table to pounce on it when it flew away.

A few minutes later, and some not so silent tries from Hermione and Ron to either stop Harry or rescue the quill from between his paws, an exasperated Madam Pince threw them all out of the library with a one week suspension.

Hermione, upset with Harry for the suspension, ran away in tears in the direction of her next class. With a last glare at Harry, Ron hurried after her.

Smirking, Draco stepped near a bewildered Harry. He bent to murmur in his ear "Be happy she didn't slap you. She has a mean hook."

Harry snickered in remembrance. Draco rolled his eyes. "Anyway, back to the subject at hand. The Headmaster exempted us from the afternoon classes. He had some experts to come and look at professor Snape's mirror. He thought you'd like to meet some of them."

/Like who?/

"The Weasley curse breaker, for one. Mad Eye Moody..." Draco shivered a little at the souvenir of his brief stint as 'the amazing bouncing ferret'.

/Who else?/

"Lupin and his grim-like dog." He grimaced in fright as he remembered the monster of a dog he had seen tailing the meek professor. He had jumped back when the dog had snarled at him.

/Really?/ Harry's delighted interjection brought him back from images of big gleaming white fangs.

Draco sighed as Harry ran to his temporary quarters. He followed him more sedatively. As he had predicted, Harry, not knowing the password, was bouncing in front of the entrance, impatiently waiting for him.

Shaking his head, Draco murmured the password low enough for Harry not to hear.

With a squeal, Harry bounded through the opening door, squeezing through what appeared to Draco as too small an opening for somebody of Potter's size.

Draco waited for the door to open properly before stepping through. The scene he walked on could have been funny hadn't it been frightening.

On Severus' beloved Persian rug, a grim like monster of a dog was gaping, its tail pointing parallel to the floor, stopped in the middle of a welcoming wag, the perfect image of frozen surprise.

Facing him was Harry Potter, crouching on all four, fur and hair standing on ends, hissing and spitting, all claws out and digging in the rug.

The Potions professor's sudden arrival startled everybody. One glance was enough for him to assess the situation. He silenced the three wizards following him with a simple gesture. Draco sighed in jealousy, oh, how much he envied this capacity of his godfather's...

"Potter!" the professor howled. "Mind the rug! As enjoyable it would be to see you clawing the mutt, I'd rather you did **not** shed blood on my rug."

Harry, who had jumped in the air in startlement when his Severus bellowed, mewled loudly in a squeaky fashion before running and clawing his way up Severus' tapestry till he could jump and hide on the top of the shelves adjoining it.

The dog, which had also jumped in the air with a squeak, looked between the climbing Harry and the sneering professor. He then began to growl threateningly at the fuming professor who was striding towards the tapestry with the purpose of berating Harry. "Oh, for Salazar's sake, Lupin! Restrain your mutt before I do it myself!"

The greying werewolf chuckled and walked to the growling beast. "Snuffles, mind your manners." He genially admonished the dog, before muzzling him with his hand and making him forcingly look down; a gesture that earned him Draco's respect. Sure the man was no mere man, but still, to manhandle such a beast so casually….

"You promised to be nice." He reminded the dog before adding "Besides, acting threateningly won't make Harry come down. You don't want him to stay up there indefinitely, do you?"

'Snuffles' whined and bestowed his best puppy eyes at Lupin, who then released him. He turned those eyes next towards the shining green ones that could be seen peeking from the top of the shelves.

Mad Eye Moody grumbled what could, with imagination, pass as a laugh, while the Weasley curse breaker smiled at Harry.

"Get down, boy, let us see what trouble you managed to get into."

Draco rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the old retired Auror. They had it all wrong. After the embarrassment at having been caught acting like a normal cat faced with an unknown dog, add to that his reluctance at being in the spotlight…

No, there was no way they'd be able to coax him down, he'd come down when he'd be ready to face them all, and not one second earlier.

Unless… Unless Draco angered him enough to make him act all Gryffindorish.

His decision taken, Draco acted before his brain could come with reasons why it was a Bad Idea. He aimed a smirk at a flushing Harry. "Is the little kitty afraid of the big bad dog? Poor little kitty, is he gonna spend all his life perched on his bookshelf?" He goaded Harry further, trying to ignore the growling coming from the dog. "Is that how you're going to save us all? What a pathetic saviour you make!"

Before he could go any further, he found himself lying on his back on the rug, a spitting mad teen cat crouched over his body. He thanked his lucky star that Harry had been the first one to jump on him and not the big brute of a dog.

In a bored tone showing nothing of the terror that was wracking him on the inside, mixed with a part of excitement at being in such close quarters with the Boy-turned-cat, Draco said "Well, I got him down. Could one of you get him off me, now?"

The Potions Master grabbed the scruff of Harry's vest and teared him away from the Slytherin's body. Once he had deposited Harry on the floor, the Gryffindor sniffed disdainfully at Draco before going to seat before the fire. He then started a full primping session, much to the amusement of the adults. It was the only way he could get enough time to recuperate without asking for it. Still, he kept one ear towards their conversation.

Nobody noticed as the dog, bored with the discussion, padded out of the sitting-room and into the bedroom. His strangled bark brought everybody piling in the room. The mirror had decided to show them another vision.

The wizards, animagus and teen-cat all watched as a young James Potter raged against an invisible opponent. Nobody could tear his eyes from the scene, apart for Draco, which divided his attention between it and looking at the adults and Potter's reaction.

James suddenly shouted "I hate you! You and your bigotry! Nobody chose to be poor! And being poor doesn't make a person bad! Poverty is not contagious!" His tirade was interrupted by what could only be a magistral slap to the face.

For the onlookers, James' head suddenly turned aside, a redness spreading on his cheek, his body flying backwards. James' head hurt the wall violently. He sat up, blood coming from his temple and blinking back tears. He was shivering slightly but trying to hide it. After a few minutes, he hugged his legs to his chest and cried softly.

A small and delicate feminine hand threaded gently through his hair. With a big sob, he threw himself into his mother's arms. She gently rocked him. Only four people in the room understood what he murmured next, as he did it in French. "Il t'a menacée. Si je ne lui obéis pas…" He sniffed "Je le déteste! J'aimerai tellement pouvoir te protéger…"

The mirror faded back to transparent.

One look at his godfather's stormy face was enough for Draco to flee the premises with a hasty good bye.

"Well, I discovered nothing new, apart from what you already knew. I have work waiting for me in Egypt. Sorry I couldn't help. May I use your floo?" With a nod from the Potions Master and a swirl of green flames, Bill Weasley was gone.

Mad-Eye Moody growled. "Albus is waiting on me for tea." With a last grinding chuckle, Moody left Remus and Sirius to fend for themselves.

Remus smirked slightly as he noticed Severus' brooding stare trying to burn a hole into Snuffles' back. He smiled brightly at Severus on purpose when he noticed that the man had shift his gaze to him. Severus' glare mutated into a Death Glare.

Remus chuckled and grabbed Snuffles' scruff to keep him from investigating any more. He spoke to Harry. "Well, we will still have time to conduce any more tests we can think of in the next days, but for now, we're stunted."

Letting the paranoid Slytherin to his making sure they had not infected anything with Gryffindor germs, Remus walked back to the sitting room, where Harry was beginning to doze, curled on the rug in front of the fire.

"Harry?" he carefully thrusted his extended his hand towards Harry, letting the decision to inspect it to Harry. Harry extended his neck and touched it with is nose, memorising Remus' scent. Once satisfied with his examination, Harry gave Remus' fingers a lick.

"You even got the scratchy tongue, Harry!" Remus marvelled. "You remember Snuffles, don't you?" he re-introduced the dog to the suddenly wide awake cat-teen. "He can be a bit rash at times, but he's very friendly." The dog touched his big wet nose to Harry's one. Harry smiled and awkwardly hugged the big dog. He was rewarded by a tongue bath, which made him giggle.

"Well, we're going. We're here for at least a week, so we can spend the week end together, if you like. Would you like that?"

Harry nodded eagerly.

Remus, informed of his slight problem, smiled and scratched behind one of Harry's ear. His smile grew brighter when Harry began to purr. "Well, we'd better go before Severus decided to threw us out by force. Find us Saturday at ten near the lake, all right?" Harry agreed. With a last wave, they were gone.

Harry was kneading the rug to bunch it just so to be comfortable for a good night's sleep when his Severus stormed in from the bedroom. "Potter! Wake up! Perhaps I should let you sleep out there, the cold you would catch would teach you a thing or two. But the Headmaster would have my hide. Come here and get into your room, I won't lose any more sleep because you've decided to be stubborn. I have already lost a whole afternoon because of this hurly-burly."

Harry bonded towards the sour man with a last look of regret towards his rug. Just when he had managed to get it right...

"Stop!"

Harry froze mid-step.

"You will not be going anywhere near my room with a red bow. Change its colour."

Harry blinked, incredulous. He would never understand that man. Harry considered making it pink to infuriate him further, but decided against it. With a blink, his bow regained its green hue. Really, how childish could his Severus get? 'But' the Draco-devil whispered into his ear, 'think about all the great pranks you'll be able to play on him.' Harry resumed his walk, shivering a little as he left the warmth of the chimney behind.

A sharp pain in his lower left paw made him fall to the floor with a cry of distress.

Severus sighed and pinched the base of his nose as Harry rolled and twisted on the floor in an attempt to get something out of his paw.

"Potter! Stop your histrionics and get to your room! A meal will be bring shortly to you, and remember not to jump on the House Elf." He strode to Harry and looked down his nose in disgust at the twisting boy who was trying to, apparently, bite a part of his paw off.

Severus began to worry something really was wrong when he smelt blood. He petrified Harry-cat to avoid being bitten and gently grabbed Harry's offending paw. Turning it this way and that, he noticed something glinting.

Spreading carefully Harry's fingers apart a little more, he found the culprit : one of Lucius' hair had managed to intertwine itself between Harry's fingers, probably during the kneading of the rug. His bounding had tightened it and it had begun to hurt. Thus the twisting and biting. With a sigh and a mutter of "Bloody Gryffindors, always finding new ways to make nuisances of themselves" Severus began to unwound the hair.

He growled as his hand slipped because of both his sweat and Harry's blood. He was nearly finished when, after a sharp tug to dislodge the hair from where it had burrowed into Harry's flesh, Harry hissed and scratched his hand in reflex.

Severus finished what he had been doing before getting up and burning the hair. "Twenty points off Gryffindors for mauling your teacher, Potter." He coldly informed the relieved teen-cat who was licking his abused paw.

"Now, get into your room!"

Harry hobbled into his room, his frown clearing as he caught sight of his food tray. Severus locked his quarters before going back into his room for a well earned meal and rest.

He was nearing his bed when something rolling under his feet made him trip, forcing him to stop his fall with his hands.

He got to his knees and looked around, trying to find the reason of his fall. He sneered when he discovered that he had stepped on Harry's leather mouse.

"Potter!" he hollered, "Twenty-five points off Gryffindor for failure to keep your toys into your room!" Harry wisely stayed out of view. Severus cursed as he stood up too quickly and had to leant a hand against what he thought was the wall to fend off a vertigo.

His head snapped to the side as his hand began to sink through the mirror. No amount of tugging on Severus' part could set it free. Severus felt something akin to terror raise in his gut, he had survived spying on Voldemort and teaching the Longbottom boy for four years and one month, only to be defeated by a man-eating mirror. He knew there was something wrong with that mirror! Not that it was the first time a Marauder had try to get him eaten…

During his slight panic attack, his arm had sank in till the elbow. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something, which resembled a hand at first touch, grab his forearm. Merlin only knew what lurked in that blasted mirror!

With a boost of adrenalin despair gave him, he tugged his arm sharply out of the mirror.

The body, to which the hand that had latch onto him was attached to, crashed into his own and brought them both to the floor. Severus' head hurt the floor hard enough for him to fall into unconsciousness.

**

* * *

****Glossary.**

Fais le partir, je ne l'aime pas, c'est un méchant! Means : Make him leave, I don't like him, he's a meanie.

Comment êtes vous entrés dans le mirroir? Means : How did you get inside the mirror ?

Cóng Fá Yŭ Fàn yì Dào Yíng yŭ means, according to my friend, translate from french to English.

Quelle mouche l'a piqué? Means : Who put a bee in his bonnet ?

Il t'a menacée. Si je ne lui obéis pas…. Means : He threatened you, if I don't obey him...

Je le déteste! J'aimerai tellement pouvoir te protéger… Means : I hate him ! I so wish I could protect you...


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.**

**For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.**

**You can go to http/ groups. /group/ HarryxLucius. in the challenge and plotbunnies file to try to find one for you. (HarryxLucius yahoo group if the adress doesn't come out well)**

**Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French.**

**Chapter un-betaed!**

**/bla/ Harry-cat's mewing**

**Excuses : Sorry for the long wait... To make amends, you'll have a drunk Severus, his host's identity being revealed, and some of the strangest theories being revealed...**

**Thank you to akuma-river, who, once again asked the good questions. And malaika pyralis, who pointed to me that Ernie Mac Millan is a Hufflepuff. Let's just read 'Erwan Mac Millan', his Ravenclaw little brother, alright?**

**So, without further ado, enjoy!**

**Chapter 11 – I see your true colours shining through**

Severus didn't want to wake up. Because Severus was warm, but more importantly, he was comfortable, which was surprising, seeing as he was not alone in bed. Rectification, he was more than comfortable.

With a sigh, he came back to the fact that he was not alone. As was evidenced by the head pillowed on his shoulder, and the rhythmic breathing sporadically blowing on the side of his neck. Even the fact that he was naked couldn't bother him enough to get him to move.

His hand, which had been up till now resting on equally bare flesh, decided to go on a little exploratory trip. A little glide upstairs allowed him to meet more soft skin, as well as a lot of hair. The return journey emboldened him enough to veer, and he began to trace arabesques on the back of the person snuggled next to him, with the interesting result of informing Severus that his guest was male.

On its own accord, Severus' long arm extended to its maximum capacity and his hand made its way lower and lower, till it came to a stop on a firm mound of flesh. Some more groping, and Severus had not only proof that his uninvited guest was naked, but also well toned and very interested.

He opened his eyes, and raised his head as best as he could to get a good look at his bed-squatter. He frowned, from the angle he was looking at, his guest bore a startling resemblance to….

"Potter!" Severus shrieked, struggling to seat in his bed while pushing the stowaway with both hands and feet out of the bed.

Potter tumbled out of the bed in a flurry of limbs and long hair, giving Severus a clear view of his perfect posterior, enabling him to notice the lack of tail. Crouching near the edge of the bed, Severus noted the human hands and feet.

He took a great gulp of air, intend to start on the mother of all rants when the door leading to the bathroom opened and Harry Potter peeked in.

/Why did you shout my name?/

Severus' shock was so great it showed fleetingly on his face. He looked from the teen-cat hovering uncertainly on the threshold of his room to the silhouette, hidden by flowing long hair, who was cursing as it tried to sit on the floor without ripping his hair out ; and then back to the teen-cat.

Harry followed his professor's glance. His eyes went wide as he saw the third occupant of the room.

/Cousin Itt!/ he babbled.

Severus blinked, taken aback ; he hadn't understand the muggle reference. He stared, unable to tear his eyes away from the grumbling man who had finally managed to sit on the floor and was in the process of combing his hair out of his face.

Severus couldn't believe his eyes; he now had two Potters to deal with? He suddenly felt faint.

Harry too couldn't look away from the seated man, who was now screwing up his eyes while looking around.

The man gracefully stood up, his long hair preserving his modesty. He went to kneel on the edge of the bed near the unconscious Severus. He shook his shoulder. Severus didn't stir.

"Zounds!" he swore, "I know I must have changed some, but I didn't expect that…"

He turned in Harry's general direction when he squeaked. "Who's here?" he called, "Darn, I need my glasses…"

Harry turned tail and ran to his room, locking the door behind him.

"Okay" the man drawled, and shook Severus' shoulder harder. "Severus Snape! Wake up!" he hollered.

Severus sat up suddenly, tipping the man over the edge of the bed once again. He looked around, but, as he didn't see anybody, he relaxed and sighed, thinking it was only a nightmare. Till he heard…

"Owww! What is it with you and pushing me out of bed?"

Severus just blinked at the frowning nightmare getting to its feet near his bed. He settled back on his bed and drew the comforter back on his body. "My dreams are getting weirder and weirder. I really need some holydays." He mumbled before closing his eyes, willing himself to sleep.

"?" Shrugging, the man desisted in his efforts to wake Severus up and walked towards Severus' wardrobe, guided by the dying embers of the fireplace seeping under the door of the living room. He opened the wardrobe's door and peaked inside. He whistled a small ditty as he helped himself to Severus' clothes. He shook his head as he stumbled across some of Severus' strictest clothes.

He was long gone when the Headmaster and Lucius burst in the room. They had been alerted by Harry, and the Headmaster, unable to understand Harry had spent a little bit of the precious time they hadn't understanding that he needed a Slytherin translator. He had flooed Lucius, who had rushed to his office and translated. Both had then flooed into Harry's room.

Albus inspected Severus' bedroom with his alighted wand. Once sure that nobody was laying in wait to ambush either Severus or Harry, Albus waved Lucius, who had been guarding Harry's door, over. They carefully checked the room and bathroom for latent curses or harmful items, which could have been added. Finding nothing, Lucius went to knock on Harry's door. A fully clothed and wide-eyed Harry answered him.

"Harry, what happened?"

The teen-cat shrugged and turned to Lucius. /He helped me to get rid of one of your hair, which had twined around the fingers of my left back paw, but I scratched him in reflex. He took some points off Gryffindor, sent me to my room, found my leather mouse in his room, screamed some more, and took off more points. After, I don't know. Till he woke me up, screaming my name. I came to see what all this was about, and found him in bed, with Cousin Itt crouching at the side of his bed./

Lucius translated for Dumbledore. Both had the same reaction.

"Cousin Itt?"

/Yes, you know, from the Addams family. You know, the hairy creature, all you could see was its long hair surrounding him on all sides, and…. Never mind./

"Well, let's grab Severus and be on our way to breakfast, shall we?" Dumbledore then nearly skipped to Severus' bed. "Severus, my boy, rise and shine!"

Severus grumbled something unintelligible and turned on his other side to get away from the disturbance that was his employer.

Dumbledore insisted. "It's a beautiful day to wake up to, Severus!"

"Must you annoy me so early in the morning, and more importantly, even in my quarters, old man?" As Albus was opening his mouth to add something, Severus hastened to speak. "Alright, I'm getting up, but you, Blondie and Beast-boy better turn around lest you want to get an eyeful." Somehow, he was in too good a mood to bother.

He swiftly got up and chuckled when both Harry and the Headmaster hastily turned around when they finally noticed that he was naked. Lucius was another matter altogether. He made a point looking Severus up and down, an eyebrow raised in amusement. "Really, sleeping naked, Severus? You didn't seem the type…" he teased.

Severus stuck his tongue out at him. Lucius chuckled and told him "I'm going to check the nearby corridors, I might be able to find some clues as to what happened."

As soon as Lucius had closed the door, Severus scurried to dig into his wardrobe for some clothes. He swore. "The little fiend helped itself to my clothes!"

They were discussing the situation when suddenly a scuffle at the door interrupted them. By mutual agreement, both Albus and Severus took point, relegating Harry, despite all his protests, behind the wall formed by their bodies. Though muffled, they clearly heard an aggravated voice shouting "Malfoy! Let me go! Who died and put you in charge, anyways?"

The opening door allowed them to hear Lucius' cultured tones answering, as he manhandled a struggling form into the room "I don't knows why or how you managed to get outside of Severus' room in the short time I was gone but the fact that you somehow managed to reverse the transformation is no reason to forget that you're not allowed to roam the corridors on your own!" There was a short silence before Lucius added "Are those Severus' clothes? You have a death wish the size of Hogwarts, Potter."

Both irritated wizards blinked as they suddenly found themselves being hold at wand point by a heavily frowning Dumbledore and a scowling Severus.

The Potter look-alike 'eeped' and whirled around Lucius to hide behind him, the braid he had his hair in whacking both Albus and Severus in the face. Lucius' eyes grew to the size of an House Elf's when he noticed the snickering Harry-cat behind Albus.

Lucius turned to look at the Potter look-alike. "Gah!" he intelligently commented, his Slytherin eloquence having deserted him.

Dumbledore suddenly lowered his wand. Even his breathing seemed to quiver in unison with his quavering voice as he said in a sigh "James?"

"Hello, Albus, long time not see."

"But….How…I mean…You're dead…"

James chuckled. "I cheated."

Severus sighed, his wand still aimed at the braided Potter. "Since you are going to clutter my quarters for Salazar knows how many time, we might as well get comfortable." He rekindled the fire and enlarged the couch.

"Albus, floo Minerva, tell her you're not going to make it to breakfast. Potter Junior, the rug is yours. Lucius, order breakfast." Having given everybody their marching orders, Severus went to sit in his favourite armchair, his wand still pointing on the bemused James.

With an elegant shrug, Lucius summoned an House Elf and ordered breakfast while Albus, musing on Severus' charge taking, flooed Minerva, refusing to answer her questions.

With a mewl of joy, Harry went to roll on the rug. He settled on his back, wiggling his backside till the rug was bunched just right. He then reluctantly turned on his stomach, crossing his arms and resting his chin on them. He frowned, not knowing what to do about this sudden re-apparition of his father. He didn't allow himself to put too much hope in this "Cousin Itt" being his not-so-dead father, lest he'd be crushed when the man proved to be an impostor. He would still listen to his story, though. Everything to spend the more time he could on this soft rug in front of the chimney. Ah, bliss….

"Lucius, Albus, the couch is yours" Severus went on, floating an armchair to James' side. He scowled at him "Either you willingly, or not, take some Veritaserum, or I'll use Legilimency on you. Your choice."

James sat on the armchair, folding his legs under him. "Veritaserum? What's that?"

"A truth serum."

"Who created it? Who brewed it?"

Severus, irritated, sighed deeply. "What does it matter?"

"Listen, there are very few people I'll willingly take potions from. And from even fewer brewers. Even if I still think you're an arrogant prick, I still acknowledge your skill. Either way, you can forget Legilimency. I had a very good teacher in Occlumency."

Severus massaged his eyes to try and get rid of a starting headache. He groaned. James grinned. Severus strode to his office to retrieve his Veritaserum. He administered it and went to sit into his own armchair, facing James'. He nodded at Lucius who put away the wand he had kept aimed at James all the time it took Severus to get to his office and back.

Severus began the interrogation. "What is your name?"

"James L. Potter."

"Do you have a child? If yes, what is his or her full name?"

"Oh, yes! My son's name is Harry James S. Potter. He's the best thing I've made." He would have smiled proudly, had the Veritaserum allowed it. Harry smiled, a bit puzzled by the 'S' initial in his name he hadn't know about.

"What happened on the night of Halloween, 1981?"

James snarled. "This turncoat Pettigrew betrayed Lily and I to Voldemort. He attacked this night."

Lucius raised an eyebrow, his agile mind making the link between the snivelling Wormtail, who, despite his clumsiness and uselessness, was still considered to be the Dark Lord's most trusted servant, and the traitor named Pettigrew.

Just to make sure, he asked "What is Pettigrew's most common nickname?"

"Wormtail" chorused James and Harry. Lucius nodded to himself, satisfied that he was still as sharp as ever.

"James, how did you…" Albus' voice quivered. "Are you a ghost?"

James' mouth twitched. He would have smiled if he wasn't under a Veritaserum induced daze. "No, I'm well and perfectly alive, a little bit on the skinny side, though." He saddened. "I spent all those years in a magical sleep, as I could not store food in the mirror."

Severus was the one to ask the ten thousands galleons question. "How did you survived?"

"During the fight, I manoeuvred till I faced the mirror I had prepared beforehand, and then switched my place with my reflection. All Voldemort did was shattering my reflection… I had enchanted the mirror beforehand, but it was to be my last solution, as I couldn't be sure it would work."

"It was very ingenious of you, James." Albus complimented him.

This time, James did smile proudly at his mentor's praise.

"What gave you this idea?" Lucius wanted to know.

James somehow managed to blush. "There was a mirror in my mother's mansion we stayed at during the holydays in France. It showed me people instead of places once. I remembered it when I read about contact mirrors for an essay in charms in my sixth year.

I wondered if it would be possible to travel through two linked mirrors, like a mirror floo, instead of only being able to communicate. I researched from there, and that's the result."

Lucius smirked at the gob smacked face of Albus Dumbledore. Apparently, he hadn't know. Severus, ever the scholar, inquired "What about side effects?"

"In my case, an obvious lack of reflection. Other than that" he shrugged, showing that the effects of the Veritaserum were lessening. "Time will tell."

/Why didn't you save my mum like that?/ Harry burst in the conversation, unable to hold it in anymore.

James shocked his audience even more by answering a question he shouldn't, as an ex-Gryffindor, have been able to understand. "She made me swear a wizard oath not to…" he murmured, his emotions so intense that they finally shattered the lingering haze of the Veritaserum. A solitary tear slid down his cheek.

Lucius and Severus exchanged a glance. Either this was an ex-Slytherin, and then an impostor, or there were some hidden layers to all Potters, and that was a daunting thought. They were nowhere near to decide if this man really was James Potter or not.

Severus was readying his next question when the man suddenly blanched before taking a greenish hue, and blanching again. He clapped a hand to his mouth and gagged. Severus jumped to his feet and hollered "No you don't!" He then proceeded to demonstrate why he had tied with the Marauders in the duelling club by whipping his wand from his sleeve, pointing it at James and casting Mobilicorpus on him before rushing James to the bathroom just in the nick of time.

Albus turned to Lucius. "Do Veritaserum react badly with Polyjuice when taken together? My potions studies are quite far away, and I'm afraid it was never a favourite subject of mine."

Lucius frowned in thought, comparing both recipes and trying to determine all the interactions between the ingredients.

Harry winced as a quivering moan followed by a loud sniffling sound drifted from the bathroom.

As Severus was floating a groaning and pale James back into the room, Lucius answered the Headmaster's question. "I don't think so, but to be sure, we'll have to ask Severus. He is, after all, only a Potions Master."

Lucius then transfigured James' armchair into a cot, on which Severus landed James' shivering body. Severus sighed as he contemplated James who had curled into a tight ball and was shivering slightly. He disappeared into his room for a few seconds. When he came back, he had a warm quilt in his hands he covered James with, to Harry and Albus' surprise. He then put James to sleep and stepped back while Lucius placed wards around the cot to warn them should James awoke.

Severus nodded to Lucius and surrounded the cot with a silencing charm. Albus then repeated his question. "Does Polyjuice and Veritaserum react badly when taken together?''

Severus considered for a few seconds before he answered in a categorical tone "No. He must be allergic to one of the ingredients of Veritaserum. I'll have to ask Madam Pomfrey if James Potter had some allergies and, if so, to what. She might know."

"A simple allergy?"

"I think so. But we're still not sure it really is James Potter."

"But…" Albus interjected, "He told us... The Veritaserum…"

Severus sighed. He regretted having to burst the Headmaster's bubble. "Albus, what he believe to be true and the truth can be two different things. I'll brew the Lineage Potion tomorrow, better safe than sorry. We'll have to have him be examined by an independent Healer or medi-wizard or witch, and compare the results to the ones contained in his file in Saint Mungo's."

Lucius intervened. "You can't fake a scent. Is Lupin's smell good enough to make the distinction between the real James Potter and a false one?"

/What about Animagus forms? Can they be faked?/

"No, as the animal is unique to each and every wizard. And the animal has peculiar marks allowing the wizard to identify the Animagus. But Potter isn't…"

/He is. But I won't tell you what he is, so that there will be no way he or anyone else could overhear and plan accordingly. Professor Lupin knows what he is and what he looks like./

"He's an illegal Animagus?" The Headmaster was the one to express his shock, though, if you looked attentively, you could see traces of shock on both Slytherins' faces.

/Yes, he did it to help with professor Lupin's lycanthropy. How did you think Wormtail managed to become one?/ Harry glared at the Headmaster, daring him to speak against his father or his friends.

Albus sighed and his face darkened. "Lucius, I'm afraid I can't risk any of this making its way to Voldemort or the outside world. And I can't obliviate you, as I'll need your help in establishing James' real identity. The two of you are going to be sworn to secrecy."

Lucius and Severus, though they understood the need for protection, couldn't help but bitterly remark that the Headmaster only thought to make the Slytherins swear. Harry's next intervention shocked them.

Harry stood up. /So will we. Not that I don't trust you, professor Dumbledore, but an indiscretion can happen so quickly… And if he really is my father, I don't want to lose him so quickly after getting him back./

Severus took, once again, charge. "All right, Potter. Everybody, wands out." He sighed at Harry's raised eyebrow before amending "Or wand arm." He thought it better to assuage Albus' wounded pride and turned to prompt him. "Headmaster?"

He exchanged a glance with Lucius, promising himself to award Gryffindor five points once the boy had gone to bed. It wouldn't do to let him know he was grateful, as he had a hunch Harry would then be insufferable. And he had a reputation to protect. He quickly tuned back into the matter at hand.

"All right, hold your wand in your fist, pointing upwards and put your fist on your heart. Repeat after me, only with your own name. I, Albus Brian Wulfric Dumbledore, do hereby swear never to talk to any outsider about anything pertaining to James Potter I learned, saw or heard here, lest I be relieved of my oath by all of you."

His wand glowed a bright golden light, which enveloped Albus, binding him to his words before dissipating.

Everybody repeated in turn, with the same results. If Harry's light was more whitish than golden, nobody noticed as the after-image had invaded their eyes. The feeling of added magic becoming heavier and heavier, making the tension escalate, till its tingle switched through the three men and teen-cat making the hair on his tail, arms and ears stand on end.

Once they had all blinked the after-images out of their eyes, they noticed that Albus had his hand on the doorknob, ready to let himself out. Something horrific suddenly dawned on Severus. "Albus!" he thundered.

"Yes, Severus?" Albus twinkled merrily at the fuming Potions Master. Severus' finger shook as he pointed at a sleeping James. "You're forgetting something."

Harry, who had busied himself with trying to lick his fur flat in front of the fire bristled at hearing somebody who could be his father being referred to as a thing. The Headmaster's answer cut his angry hiss short.

"But, Severus, your quarters are the safest, nobody in their right mind would try and enter here without your permission…"

"And who would think to enter yours?"

Albus waved the interruption away. "Besides, moving him might endanger the secrecy. Somebody might see us."

Severus couldn't believe his ears. It was not as if the man was the school Headmaster's after all. No, he had absolutely no control on the school, at all. And he didn't know at least twenty different means of being invisible… "Albus" he nearly purred, making a shiver of dread run along Lucius and Harry's backs. They took a careful step back. Albus seemed unfazed. Severus went on "I refuse utterly. My quarters are not a shelter for homeless Potters."

"Severus, Severus" Dumbledore admonished him, "surely you can defend yourself against a teen and a wandless man. Besides, it would look strange if I missed lunch just after I wasn't here at breakfast. Rumours would start to spread. Not, it's better if you host him." On this pirouette he let himself out before Severus could even think of sputtering an answer. Lucius left soon after, the left corner of his mouth quivering up in amusement at his friend's predicament. Severus was too shocked and too proud to stop him.

Once alone, Severus looked alternatively between the grooming Potter and the sleeping one, wondering what would be worse. Should he let Harry go to classes unsupervised, knowing he would find new ways to get into trouble, or let a probably-faking-sleep maybe-James Potter free reign of his quarters? Damn Lucius for skiving out. What was so important he had to go at the Ministry anyway? An idea suddenly struck him. He summoned an House Elf and asked him for lunch for the three of them. He next flooed a message to Albus, informing him that he would survey both Potters in his quarters till Lucius came back.

He then called "Potter, come with me." And strode into his ingredients stores, not bothering to look back to be sure Harry was following. He grabbed a cauldron, thrust it into Harry's arms and placed a few carefully selected ingredients into it. "Get this into the living room."

He followed soon after, floating behind him one of Dumbledore's presents he had never had a use for before.

Once in the living room, he carefully opened the big box and read the instructions twice. Satisfied that he could handle the assemblage, he neatly arranged the elements on his table. A few minutes later, and voila, he had his own portable potions station. He grimaced in disdain as he recalled the advertisement. Who would they expect to make potions while out in the wild? Not a Potions Master, that was for sure. It was no wonder this invention never got any success… He shook his head to get rid of those useless thoughts and sent a reinforcement charm at the ensemble as well as an anti-fire one in the vicinity of the installation. He then settled his cauldron on top and lit the fire.

"Let's hope this will hold long enough for this potion." He mumbled, doubtful, before losing himself in the Lineage potion, forgetting everything not pertaining to his potion.

Once he was done, and the potion was quietly bubbling, he turned to find himself being stared at by the one and only resident teen-cat. He quirked an eyebrow at the boy.

/Whoa! It was like… magic!/

"Potter, it **was **magic."

Harry waved his paw at him in a never mind fashion.

Severus shook his head to dispel his reflections on the Potters' lack of sanity, though his heart fluttered at the admiration he could read in Harry's eyes.

He turned to his tray of knives and selected a scalpel and a small vial. "Potter!" he called.

/Miah?/

"I'm going to draw a few drops of blood from him" he pointed at the sleeping James. "I need you to survey him. At the first gesture of attack, you stupefy him. Understood?"

/Yes./

A nervous Harry sidled closer. He scrunched his eyes shut tightly as he saw the scalpel beginning to slice through the sleeping man's palm and the blood welling into the cut. Severus expertly flipped the lax hand on its side, allowing the blood to drop into the prepared vial. Once he had enough, he put some pressure on the cut with a clean sheet of cotton to stop the flow of blood. He topped the vial with one hand and placed it on the floor before it spilled. He then healed the cut.

Grabbing his scalpel, the tissue and the vial, he made his way to his table. He threw the tissue into the fire, cleaned and sanitised the scalpel before replacing it in the tray under the stasis charm. He carefully labelled the vial and cast a keep-fresh charm on it before settling it back on his table.

Harry opened his eyes a sliver when he heard his Severus snort. Relieved that the bloody part was over, Harry blinked his eyes open.

"Some protector you are, Potter, to be afraid of a little bit of blood." Severus sneered.

/Mine I can handle just right. It's other people being hurt that I can't stand./ Harry mumbled, looking at the floor to hide his blush.

Severus rummaged into his drawers for two blank pieces of parchment. He next grabbed two trays, a pipette and a wooden pair of pliers.

Harry watched, mesmerised, as Severus concentrated once more on his potion. He observed as Severus put the finishing touches on the potion, checking that the temperature was right before hauling the cauldron onto the floor and extinguishing the fire. He ladled some of the potion into two bowls. He carefully measured three drops of blood with the pipette and added them to one bowl. Grabbing a parchment with the pliers, he dunked it in the bowl he had added the blood to, and stirred four times widthways with the parchment.

He waited a few seconds for the potion to settle before swirling the parchment a few times to make sure he was soaked before holding it over the bowl to let it drip. Once satisfied, he vanished the potion and set the parchment in the tray, and then settled the pair of pliers on the desk, before spelling them clean.

Severus then waved Harry near the table. Entranced, Harry obeyed, and handed Severus his left paw when he asked. He didn't even wince as Severus punctured one of his fingers and let three drops of blood fall into the other bowl. Once Harry's cut was healed, Severus repeated the previous process with the second parchment.

Harry, fascinated, watched as a short family tree appeared on each parchment as the potion dried.

Once sure the parchments were dry, Severus plucked James' parchment from its tray to read it.

"Let's see. James Louis Potter, son of Edmund Potter and Caroline de Dagonville." He whistled as he scanned the rest. "Nothing unexpected from the father's side, but the mother's… The Sakuras, they're said to be one of Japan 's most secretive family… And the great-grandparents… The Addlersteins are supposed to have disappeared during the muggle second worldwide war. By Merlin, his blood is even purer than I thought. Lucius is going to be jealous."

Bemused, Severus gave the parchment to an insistent Harry. "Since you insist on being a bother, I want you to research the three families that appeared in your father's genealogy. The Addlersteins, the Sakuras and the De Dagonville. Let' s see yours."

He plucked the second parchment from its tray. "Eric de Dagonville, Yume Sakura, alright, you're related. James Louis Potter and… Why is Evans' name blurred? And why are their names inverted? Maybe I didn't take enough blood from you, either that, or your transformation is muddling the results… You're definitely going for giving me a migraine…"

Just then, James Potter stirred awake, making the wards blare. Severus growled and cancelled them. He let the two newly reunited Potters staring at each other and went to down a headache draught. He came back to see that nothing had changed. Shrugging, he went to sit in his armchair with a glass of his favourite brandy and the last copy of the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers Journal. He hardly had time to blink when Harry launched himself into James' waiting arms. Both hugged each other tightly, Harry's purring trying to drown all the others sounds of the room.

Harry suddenly extricated himself from James' arms and went to crouch on the edge of the cot, all his attention focused on a certain place in the room. Nothing James could say would distract him.

Severus was distracted from an article comparing the use of mandrake and grounded bezoars in antidotes making by James' soft and hesitant voice. "Snape, oh Snape! What is happening with Harry?"

Severus swore as he noticed Harry's behaviour. He stood up, putting his journal in his armchair and his glass on the floor and rushed to the crouching Potter, but was too late. Harry had already jumped from the cot with a happy mew and was bounding to the cowering House Elf who squealed in fright, and only had enough time to put his tray on the table before being pounced upon.

"Potter!" Severus roared. "Ten points from Gryffindor for disrespecting the rules! You know you are not allowed to jump on House Elves!"

Harry didn't bother to listen and began a lively game of tag all over the sitting room. Severus gave up, horrified at the ridicule of the idea of running around like a mindless Gryffindor trying to stop an unwilling Harry. The Elf could apparently take care of himself, that or he was frightened out of his wits and didn't think to disappear. Either way, Severus didn't care as he went back to his brandy and journal.

Bewildered, James sat on his cot, and looked at Harry's antics as well as he could with his myopic eyes, a little smile floating on the edges of his mouth. "I really need my glasses." He murmured.

It was in this pandemonium that Lucius walked in. He stopped, startled, to observe the situation before shrugging and going to put on the table the heavy file he had been carrying. He cleared his throat to attract Severus' attention.

"I managed to acquire Potter's file from Saint Mungo's. What happened here?"

Severus settled back into his armchair's back. "I made the Lineage potion. Go and look at the results. The two parchments on my table." He marked his page in the journal with his finger as he carefully observed Lucius' face as he scanned the parchments quickly, an eyebrow raising in surprise as he read Harry's first. His eyebrow raised higher and higher as he delved further into the Potter genealogy. Stunned, he went to sit gracelessly on the couch, grabbing Severus' brandy and draining the glass. He nodded as he noticed the glass refilling itself and drained it a second time. Severus wrenched his glass from Lucius' fingers and went back to his armchair. Lucius then stared at James, who, guided by the scent of food, had joined Harry at the tray.

"Is there a possibility of error?" Lucius murmured to Severus once he was sure that the two Potters were distracted enough not to hear.

Severus answered in the same fashion "I did it myself, and, as you told Dumbledore, I am only a Potions Master, after all. If the Dark Lord knew, it is no wonder he wanted them dead, even without this blasted prophecy."

"It's a good thing we've been sworn to secrecy, then. If you don't destroy those, you'd better ward them against intruders."

"Yes, I already did. Nobody can read them without my say-so. If we want to have some food, we'd better go and rescue some from the Potters' joint assault."

"You go, I have something I need to do before."

Severus shrugged as Lucius went to the end of the table to consult a precise page in the file. He next sat Harry's broken glasses on the table and repaired them. He carefully read the spell another time, making sure he had it memorised, and practised it into the air. Once he deemed himself ready, he aimed his wand at the glasses and performed the spell. The glasses shimmered lightly, indicating that the spell was working. Lucius waited for the light to die before picking up the glasses. He went to join the three wizards by the tray on the other end of the table.

Both Potters were actually in the process of being chastised by a fuming Potions Master, who, according to a comment muttered by Harry, sounded quite like a male version of the Granger girl.

"Honestly, don't either of you know how to use cutlery? One would think that both of you were old enough to have been taught how to, by now.."

Lucius handed James the glasses, which he promptly sat on his nose. He took a long look around, blinking slowly as his world came into focus once again.

"Perfect!" he commented. "But how did you know which correction I'd need?"

Lucius replied matter of factly "It was in your file."

James frowned. "And how did you get a hold of my file? Those informations are confidential, and…"

"You're dead?'' Lucius deadpanned.

"What does this have to do with the price of sprouts in Brussels?"

Lucius recited "The files of dead people do not have the same restrictions as opposed to the files of alive people. They can be consulted or borrowed for an indefinite period of time by any certified healer, medi-witch or medi-wizard in the intend use of furthering their education, or helping a family member; at the condition that the information be not spread amongst public." He then explained. "All I had to do is tell them that it was needed to monitor young Potter's condition, to see what was normal and what was not to get a copy of your file."

"And they gave it like that?"

"It helped that I had a note from Dumbledore stating that madam Pomfrey was the Hogwarts' nurse, and another one from Madam Pomfrey stating that I could take the file to Hogwarts."

"And they didn't check with Madam Pomfrey?" James was flabbergasted.

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Of course they did. Dumbledore had warned her beforehand that he wanted your file to monitor your son's transformation."

"Oh"

"Indeed. I'd like you to answer a simple question, if you are even capable of that."

James pouted.

"To the best of our knowledge, only Slytherins have been able to understand Potter junior. Why, we don't know. Yet, you answered his question. Correctly, might I add."

"I don't know why?" tried James.

"Is that an answer, or a question, Potter?" Severus snarled; wedging himself in the conversation.

"Um, both?"

Harry had a sudden epiphany. /The Hat!/

"Develop!" Severus barked at a suddenly reluctant Harry, who exchanged an interrogative glance with James who shrugged and nodded. He too was curious as to where Harry was going with that.

/The Hat wanted you in Slytherin!/

The two Slytherins alternated their surprised glances between the two Potters, who seemed to live to surprise them.

"You too?" James blurted.

Harry nodded. /Hagrid had told me that all bad wizards had been in Slytherin, and as I had absolutely no knowledge that I was a wizard till my letter came, I believed him. And I had already met Draco Malfoy in Madam Malkin's and he was acting like my bully of a cousin… And he had already been sorted into Slytherin. All I wanted was to get away from him at all costs. I kept repeating 'not Slytherin' under my breath, and somehow convinced the Hat to put me in Gryffindor. You?/

"I met with Sirius and Remus on the train, and hit it off really well. They had both been already sorted into Gryffindor. That and my father would have taken his deception on my mother." He darkened.

Harry was suddenly bashful. /So, if I have a Slytherin side, it is no because Voldemort transferred a part of himself in me by the means of his failed Avada curse?/

James snorted. "Hardly. There have been people on your grandmother's side of the family who would have been in Slytherin, had they attended Hogwarts."

/What about parceltongue? I thought only descendants of Salazar Slytherin could speak it?/

James shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe there's some diluted Slytherin blood somewhere in our lineage, who knows?"

James and Harry were distracted by the sounds of cutlery and glass tinkling. Severus and Lucius had decided not to intervene, opting to let their presence be forgotten in order to learn more, but that didn't mean neglecting their stomachs. And learn they did. Severus decided another glass of brandy was necessary after the Potters had decided to happily shatter Severus and Lucius' illusions of them being the perfect embodiment of Gryffindor Golden Boys.

He exclaimed after a few moments "One Potter was not enough, oh no, we had to be saddled with another! Two Potters equal square the trouble!" Severus, after this 'prophecy' downed another glass.

Lucius calculatively eyed the father-son couple who had gone back to their own conversation after this little disturbance.

Harry was actually retelling a wide-eyed James tales of his second school year.

"Damn! You die for a few years, and look what you miss!"

They were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. The four wizards froze in their spot.

"What did I tell you…" Severus grumbled, "I already had in two days more visits than I usually get in a month!"

"Severus, are you there? Albus asked me to come and see you after lunch." the gentle voice of Hogwarts' pet werewolf came through the thick door.

"Great, all we need is Black, and it will be just like old times!" Severus glared at James. "Go into the bathroom."

James pouted but obeyed. Severus then nodded at Lucius who went to open the door.

"Malfoy. Severus." Remus greeted the two Slytherins politely. He entered the room and grinned "Harry! Are you alright? Did something happen?"

Severus snorted. "You could say that"

Lucius frowned and plucked the refilling glass from Severus' unresisting fingers. "You've had enough."

Severus did something absolutely un-Severus like. He pouted and vaguely tried to reach for his glass Lucius had put near James' medical file. "See, the Potter curse strike again!" Severus commented, earning himself a few strange glances from the other people present in the room.

Remus suddenly froze, tilted his head back and sniffed at the air. He frowned heavily as he proceeded to follow his nose in pursuit of a very distinctive scent, one he hadn't smell in some years.

Bored, Harry went to sit near Lucius, butting his hand with his head. His efforts were rewarded as Lucius' deft fingers began to scratch behind one of his ears. Harry soon purred in delight, enjoying the scratching shamelessly.

Severus had settled back in his armchair, sulking as he was denied his glass of brandy.

Remus had gone into Severus' bedroom. From there he followed his nose to the bathroom. Wrenching the door open, he screamed. All the Slytherins heard in the next minutes was a hushed conversation. Harry was too high on the cloud of stroking hands to bother pricking his ears to listen.

A sudden crashing sound travelled through the doors Remus had let open. Severus hid his face in his hands and moaned. "My poor quarters!" he nearly wailed. "Lucius!" he hissed. "Give me my glass, so that I can properly toast my quarters' destruction!"

Before either Harry or Lucius could move, Severus went on another tangent. "I swear, if they are fucking in there, I'll have to redo all the bathroom. Perhaps I should fumigate my quarters too."

Harry was opening his eyes as wide as they could go in surprise at his Severus' behaviour. He looked up at Lucius' snickering. "I had forgotten how fun he was once drunk." he murmured to Harry.

They were interrupted by the entrance of a sheepish James and a smirking Remus whose eyes were red rimmed.

"Uh, Snape? There was a kind of accident in your bathroom.." an embarrassed James began.

Severus growled. "That accident better have nothing to do with anything white and sticky, or I'll be forced to exact payment out of your hides!"

Both ex-Gryffindors goggled. Remus sniffed and began to laugh. "You shouldn't abuse the brandy, Severus, you're not twenty anymore. You're lucky it's nearly the week-end."

Severus gave him a sloppy salute. "Yes mama Lupin, right to bed mama Lupin, I won't do it ever again mama Lupin." He then slithered with great care past the bemused James and Remus to his bedroom.

"What sort of accident?" Lucius asked.

"Ah, hum… an accident of the animagus kind."

"Meaning?"

"I thought his bathroom was bigger." James' blush intensified as he mumbled "He's going to need a new mirror."

Lucius raised en eyebrow to express his surprise. Remus and Harry snickered. Harry sent Remus an interrogative glance. Remus nodded. Harry began to howl in laughter as he imagined poor Prongs with his right antler sticked into the shower while the left one went through the mirror hung over the lavabo.

/Oh deer../ he wheezed in between bouts of laughter.

Lucius jumped on the clue. "He's a deer animagus?"

Remus frowned, but James was prompt to reassure him. "It's alright Remus, he, as well as Snape, Albus and Harry swore themselves to secrecy on everything pertaining to me." He hesitated.

"You want me to take this oath too."

"You're not angry?"

"It makes sense. So, what was the wording?"

Remus repeated the words Lucius had enunciated. "I, Remus Jonathan Lupin, do hereby swear never to talk to any outsider about anything pertaining to James Potter I learned, saw or heard here, lest I be relieved of my oath by all of you."

Harry shivered as the magic tingled all the length of his back. He next made his best kitten eyes at Lucius. /Can Remus stay, please? We'll be quiet!/

Lucius was no more immune to the kitten eyes than Severus was, and he felt his reluctance melting at the sight of those bright green almonds. He sighed. "Alright, Lupin, it seems you've won an afternoon in the Potions Master's lair. Make yourself at ease."

He then staggered back as a purring Harry hugged him tightly, his whiskers tickling Lucius' sensitive neck, making him bit back a moan. As soon as he came, Harry was gone, back to his father and adopted uncle, to which he began to retold his former school years.

"And here I thought our school years were eventful…" James mused.

There was a strangled gasp at the bedroom's door. The three Gryffindors looked from their seat on the floor to see the strict and stern Severus Snape dressed only in tailored black slacks and an untucked and opened white shirt. He carefully glided to Harry and huffed "It's the Potter curse! It's becoming worse with each generation! Don't you dare reproduce!" He shook his index finger at Harry, his eyes following its movement, communicating it to his whole head.

James rolled his eyes and stood up. He carefully placed a hand on Severus' arm. "Come on, let's get you to bed, alright?"

Severus frowned at the hand, following it up with his eyes till the shoulder, insisting on the neck before climbing to rest his eyes into hazel eyes.

His eyes half closed, Severus swayed in place, never taking his eyes off James' own. One of his hands grabbed James' wrist, tugging him in his wake. "You're coming with me, so I'll be sure you won't read my books again."

James blinked and tried to resist, but winced as Severus only tugged him harder, nearly making him fly.

"Er… A little help would be welcome, guys." James called over his shoulder.

Remus and Harry were too busy trying not to laugh to be of any help. Lucius, never one to lose an occasion to pry, immersed himself into James' medical file. He lift his eyes just in time to see James' braid disappearing into Severus' bedchamber.

"Should we help him?" Remus asked.

Lucius shrugged. "There's not much you can do, unless you're planning on being hexed by a drunk Severus?"

Remus, paling as he remembered what a sober Severus had been able to do with his wand, nodded.

"That's what I thought. Potter senior will just have to grin and bear it, at least until Severus is asleep enough for him to move without waking Severus. Or sooner if Potter can get Severus' wand out of his hand."

Remus stood up to leave. He smiled sadly at Harry's disappointed pout. "Since we've lost our translator, and unless you want to coerce Malfoy into translating, there's no reason for me to stay. Besides, I'd better go, or else Snuffles might tear the castle apart looking for me."

Harry nodded sadly and looked down.

Remus tilted his head back up to look him in the eyes. "You will see us both tomorrow morning at ten on the lake side, remember? And I somehow think that you will have no problems staying with Malfoy."

Harry nodded with a small sigh. With a last hug to Harry and a small nod at Lucius, Remus was gone.

/I'd better go and see if dad is locked up in my room, he might need me to rescue him…/

Lucius wet back to James' file, which was proving to be, decidedly, a very interesting read.

Harry had gone to noiselessly open the door of Severus' bedroom. He silently giggled as he spied in the half-light his Severus laying on his bed, softly snoring, with his hand still encircling James' wrist in a death grip. James was kneeling on the floor and bent at the waist to try and compensate for the difference in height. He winced as he turned to Harry. 'Help me?' he mouthed so as to not disturb Severus.

Harry hesitated, not sure how he could be of any help. He hesitantly stepped into the darkened room, his roaming eyes alighting at the sight of the book on Severus' bed table. He darted to grab it and walked around the bed to come near James. Carefully and slowly, he rubbed one of the book's corners on Severus' hand. After a few seconds of that, Severus' hand swiftly let go of James' wrist to grab the book, and, in the continuity of his movement, brought it to his chest and hugged it. James blinked at his sudden freedom. Relieved, he unsteadily stood up and grabbed Harry's offered wrist to be guided to the door. They gave the book-cuddling Severus one last glance before they exited the bedroom.

"Hey!" James exclaimed and rushed to rescue his medical file from Lucius' prying eyes. "You have no right!" he exclaimed.

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "I already told you, since you are dead, the informations concerning you are de-classified. Thus accessible."

"But only to medi-wizards, what you are not."

"Quite the contrary, as I am a high level ministry consultant, I can have access to this sort of information."

"Well you can access all the classified informations you want, just not mine!" James huffed and closed his file before grabbing it. He then looked around, hesitating. "What am I going to do with that, now?" he mumbled.

/I know!/ Harry exclaimed and buried his claws into his father's sleeve. /My room has a ward on the door to keep everybody but me out. I'll put it in my trunk./

James agreed and handed him the thick file. Harry bounded into Severus' room.

"So, Potter" Lucius started the conversation, "was it a stroke of the luck your family is known for that your plan to escape the Dark Lord worked, or did you actually had results from your research?"

James sat at the table in front of Lucius. "I began the research in the middle of my sixth year. I based them on the mode of functioning of the contact mirrors, whose use is well documented…"

Lucius cut in "Good dodging but that is not what I asked."

James tilted his head in curiosity.

"Let's try again, and do not obfuscate. Did you make more tests before diving into the mirror? How else would you know that you couldn't store food or items in there after all?"

James was suspicious. "What interest is it to **you**?"

Lucius chuckled. "Relax, just scholastic curiosity. Besides, I've been sworn to secrecy to** all **things pertaining to you, remember?"

James was not appeased. "Is that your try at polite conversation, or have you a real interest in the question?"

"I was wondering, if you didn't base your transfiguration thesis on this research, was it to keep it a secret?"

James bit his lips but didn't answer.

"And if so," Lucius went on, "who from? The Dark Lord, of course. But Dumbledore also, I think, if I base myself on his reaction."

James still didn't answer but blanked his face.

"You see," Lucius insisted "there's this impression I have. Since you started your researches at Hogwarts, right under his nose, and it was clear from his reaction that he didn't know. And you did the same thing with your animagic. Not to forget how you used his soft spot for you to get out of trouble. When you got caught. Which, I'm sure, was a ploy to divert attention from some of yours 'other' doings we have yet to discover."

James blinked innocently at him, wearing his best innocent face. "What do you mean? I'm a Gryffindor Golden Boy, I'm not that scheming."

Lucius chuckled. "I rest my case."

Harry bounding into the room diverted the tension. Lucius suddenly tensed as he was confronted to the same horrific idea Severus had. He was supposed to survey two mischievous Potters, alone, for who knew how much time? And the revelation that they were half Slytherins didn't ease his unease. He vaguely considered getting drunk, but refrained as he then imagined James and Harry getting then free reign of Hogwarts. He suddenly had an idea. Draco! He could divert most of the pranks James would think of in retaliation of his prying. His mind made up, he clicked his fingers to summon a House Elf. Besides, if Potter could introduce Lupin into their secret, he very well could get Draco in. And if Potter disagreed to his archrival knowing Potter was back, well it was too bad. And he'd better start thinking of them as James and Harry, lest he'd confuse himself.

Getting off his tangent, he addressed the House Elf cowering behind his legs in fear of Harry. "Get my son here the quickest you can."

He hadn't even finished speaking, that Draco, clinging onto the Elf for dear life, appeared in a 'pop'. "Master's son here quick, like Master said." The Elf rushed to explain before popping out as fast as he could.

Draco breathed deeply a few times before he addressed Lucius. "Father, what was so important you had to have me kidnapped from the dormitories in front of my friends?" He apparently had not noticed James, who was, Lucius remarked with a twinge of uneasiness, whispering with a snickering Harry.

"Draco" Lucius addressed his waiting son, "I need you to repeat this oath after me."

Draco raised an eyebrow in a movement reminiscent of Lucius' himself in question but accepted. He repeated after his father. "I, Draco Malfoy, do hereby swear never to talk to any outsider about anything pertaining to James Potter I learned, saw or heard here, lest I be relieved from my oath by all the following people : Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy."

Draco drew a sharp breath as he opened his eyes when he was done, and saw that his father had, somehow, acquired a set of House Elf ears.

He turned at the sound of snickering. His eyes grew to twice their size as he saw James standing besides Harry.

Lucius started to explain but quickly shut up as his voice sounded like a House Elf's.

James and Harry exploded into laughter, sliding to the floor, and even Draco couldn't avoid a smile. Lucius glared at the pile of laughing Potters and stomped to the couch.

"Get it off" he squeaked.

"But it" James panted between bouts of laughter "it…" snort "suit you so well!" He dissolved back into laughter.

Lucius intensified his glare. Harry relented and waved his paw in the air with a flourish. /Tadaa!/ he presented the newly detransformed Lucius.

"Draco, this rascal is James Potter, who it would appear, was not as dead as we thought, but he still managed to get himself trapped into the mirror I'm sure you heard about."

"But, if he was trapped, how did he get out?"

"Severus inadvertently pulled him out."

"Alright, but what am I doing here?"

"Because Severus got himself drunk, and thus is unable to do his share of Potter-sitting."

"So, I'm added security, then."

"Yes. And to keep them from getting bored. Which is, as you noticed, a bad thing. A Very Bad Thing." He shivered at the thought of the mayhem two devious Potters collaborating could do.

/I'm bored!/ Harry whined once he had he had recuperated from his laughing binge. James nodded in acquiescence, both getting a glint in their eyes that unnerved Lucius.

/Can we go outside?/

"Yes, can we go flying? It's been an eternity since I've flown."

/Yes!/ Harry cheered/and I'll lent you my broom!/

"I can't wait to see how brooms evolved since my time."

Draco was frowning. "How come he can understand Pott… Harry when no other Gryffindors could?" he exclaimed.

"It's all the Hat's fault, really." James confided in Draco.

"The hat?" Draco, dubious, repeated. "Which one?"

/The Sorting Hat, silly Draco./

Confused and realising he wouldn't get a clear answer from either of the Potters, he turned to his father.

"Apparently, the sorting Hat wanted both of them in Slytherin at first." He warned Draco, hoping that his son was intelligent enough to understand without him needing to be more explicit.

Draco eyed both smirking Potters with a mix of understanding, trepidation and admiration. While he was at it, he couldn't stop himself from appraising and comparing both James and Harry, coming to the conclusion that, apart from James being a bit taller, he didn't appear much older. They could easily pass as each other if people didn't pay attention or didn't know Harry well enough. Especially now that, with his transformation, Harry's nose became pointier, just like James'. Draco shivered as he forecasted a whole slew of new problems.

Meanwhile, Harry and James, bored, had started a conversation.

"Do you know where the map is?"

/Gred and Forge gave it to me in my third year, but I'm not sure where it is now. The fake Moody got it in my fourth year before the second task. I don't know where it might be now. But it could be in Dumbledore's office./

"We'll have to search through his office, then. The best way to do it would be to ask the elves to make lemon pie for dessert. He always take two or three slices. It should give us enough time to check the place out, or to accio the map."

/We could even ask Dobby to be our lookout!/

"Great idea, mister Ron-Ron."

/You're not going to give me this nickname, are you? I don't even know what it means!/

"It's a brand of cat food in France. Don't worry, you will be nicknamed by agreement between all the Marauders."

Draco gasped. James Potter was a Marauder? Then, so were Remus Lupin and Sirius Black… And given their reputation, he was doomed. And given his father's sudden tenseness, he thought so too.

"Hey!" James suddenly exclaimed. "How come you all get inconspicuously animagus forms and I'm the one stuck with not only the biggest but also the more remarkable one?" he pouted. "It's not fair!".

Lucius shrugged. "It may be because it's the animal who chose the wizard, and not the other way around."

"But" James mused, "people change. Does that mean that, should I study animagic now, I would have a different form?"

"If you didn't already have one, maybe. It would be interesting to find a way to check one person at different times to see if their form evolve…"

"Yes, it's like Polyjuice." James nodded.

Lucius cocked an eyebrow at the abrupt change of subject. "I fail to see the link, Potter."

James waved Lucius' objection away. "There isn't one." He answered flippantly. "But think about it. Imagine if A polyjuiced into B, and spent a night with C, who is B's wife. C got pregnant. Will the child be A's or B's?"

Lucius was taken aback. "You ask the strangest questions, Potter."

"Maybe. But think about the implications, how it would complicate genealogy. Nobody would be sure of anything anymore. Not to say that it would shot the 'pure blood supremacy' motto to hell. And, to go a little bit further, what about muggle-borns? They could be, in fact, half-bloods, and the results of a muggle and a polyjuiced wizard or witch! It all comes back to the old question: which one came first, the muggle born or the pureblood?"

"A piece of advice, Potter, don't advertise your theories now unless you plan on being 'invited' into the Dark Lord's lair."

James quirked an eyebrow at him. "This overgrown child who throw temper tantrums because he refuses to share his toys?"

Lucius openly gasped at a smug James. He shook his head. "I can't decide if you're insane or really courageous."

"Neither" James answered with a little bashful smile. "The worse he could do is torture me or kill me. I like to think that I angered him enough for him to want to kill me without delay. If not, I got something to prevent torture."

"And, without being indiscrete, what?"

"Poison, of course."

Lucius shook his head, as if to dispel any spell James might have him under. "Potter, you are the strangest man I've ever met."

James smiled brilliantly. "Thank you, I do try."

Draco and Harry, who had silently followed the exchange, exchanged a glance, puzzled for Draco and calculating for Harry.

"Potter, your father is insane."

/I know!/ Harry agreed/Isn't it fantastic?/ and smiled sunnily.

"Er, yes?" Draco's voice was not as assured as he would have liked it to be. He discreetly took a step away from Harry.

/Dad?/ Harry called.

"Yes?"

/How old are you?/

"Depends on who you ask. I was born on the same year your Potions Master was, so I should be… You're fifteen, right?"

/Yup!/

James did a quick calculation "So, thirty-seven, because I had just turned twenty-two four months before your birth."

Lucius snorted. "You certainly don't act like it."

"Why, thank you!" James smiled at Lucius and shook his hands enthusiastically, refusing to see the taunt for what it was.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" called Draco, his voice wobbly.

"Remus Lupin."

"Enter!" chirped James.

Remus came in, took one look at the rattled Draco and Lucius, and…laughed. Heartily. "Keep them confused, eh, Prongs?"

James saluted him with a flourish. "You know me so well, Moony. Besides, it worked on the prefects and even Mac Gonnagal. I wanted to see if it would work on Slytherins too. Just because you talk a lot and appear naïve doesn't mean you actually **say** something. Just a little reminder that the 'cold bastard' is not the only mask available. I'm rather partial to the 'babbling idiot' myself."

Remus chuckled. "The worse is that he makes sense…"

"So, Moony, want to prank Padfoot tomorrow?"

"I don't know, Prongs, will your minders let you go outside without an escort?"

"Funny, Moony, very funny! Why are you here?"

"I received an invitation from the Headmaster for tea. As I was there, he was summoned to the Ministry tomorrow, he wanted me to warn you. It may or may not have to do with the mirror, but you better start working on a cover story."

Someone suddenly banged on the door. "Moony! I know you're here! What are you doing into Snape's quarters? Open that door!"

James pushed Harry towards the door. "Open him before he attract too much attention, I'll go and wake Snape." He dashed into Severus' bedroom before anybody could protest or move. Harry opened the door.

Sirius charged into the room, not noticing Harry who had stepped into the shadows surrounding the door. Sirius looked around, glaring as he caught sight of the two Malfoys. He was opening his mouth to speak when a bellow of "Potter! Get out of my room!" followed by crashing sounds and the appearance of a squinting Severus Snape striding into the room stopped him.

Sirius' eyes alightened as he espied James entering the room behind the fuming Potions Master, rubbing the side of his head.

"Harry!" he exclaimed and bounded to hug him. "You finally got rid of this transformation! You can move out of The Git's quarters now!"

Severus banged his empty vial of headache potion on his table. "He. Will. Not. Move. From. Here!"

"And why is that?" Sirius hissed, an arm protectively around James' shoulders.

"Because this little menace need to have a keeper, that's why!"

"Perhaps, but surely not you!" Sirius bellowed, "I'm his godfather, I'll do it." He smiled reassuringly at James.

Severus snorted derisively. "Someone who will not act as immaturely as he, Black."

Things went downhill from there, both men trading insults and trying to out shout the other. James quickly joined the others by the fire in case they came to blows or decided to start a duel.

Remus was resigned, ready to try and break them apart. Lucius had his wand out, the silencing hex on the tip of his tongue. Draco was surprised and shocked. Not even five minutes into Black's presence, and his stoic godfather was not only starting a yelling match with the Gryffindor, but apparently enjoying it.

James sniggered in amusement. "It's funny to see how things change and still managed to stay the same. And it's a mild one this time."

Draco looked at James as if he had confirmed that all Gryffindors were insane. "How so?" he blurted.

"Well, you see, Sirius' parents never liked him, they were always belittling him, comparing him to Severus and making an example of him to Sirius. Nearly every minute of every day he spent in their presence, it was to hear comments like 'if only you were more like the Snape boy' or 'the Snape boy would have had better grades'… And so on and so forth. Sirius couldn't retaliate against his parents, as it would have worsened things, so he settled for the next best thing. If his parents liked Severus so much, it was a reason more for him to dislike him.

And then, he taunted and pranked him every chance he got, going for the easiest target first: Severus' physical appearance. I may have overlooked Severus, so scrawny he was, had Sirius not singled him out.

And when Severus learnt to let insults and taunts related to his physical appearance stop bothering him, at least on the outside, and learnt to retaliate in kind, things escalated as Sirius pressed him as he wanted any kind of reaction, negative one being the best, to show his parents that Severus was not as perfect as they thought him to be. It was really a plea for attention and love he made to his parents." James shrugged. "Not to say that I'm all saintly, but Sirius was one of my closest friends, and I don't let anybody hurt my friends, not if I can do something about it."

A particular loud shout made Harry, who was pressing his ears against his skull with his paws, moan in distress.

"Because you couldn't protect your mother from your father?" Draco's mouth once again had bypassed his brain.

James quirked an eyebrow and stared at him for a while, his face inscrutable, making Draco fidget. James finally smirked. "You're good. You show the promises of a true Slytherin. Once you will have reconnected your mouth to your brain. But first, what says you to a little bet? I bet I can shut both of them in one go. Because if we left them to their own devices, we will find them tomorrow still arguing."

Another pained moan from Harry, hugged by Lucius who was rubbing his back in a try to comfort him, prompted James into action, but not before he had thrown at Lucius a glance promising him a long conversation.

James bounded to the two arguing men, wedged himself between them, adjusted his position till he was facing Severus fully and took advantage of him opening his mouth to land a smacking kiss on his lips, tongue darting in the opening.

The effects were immediate. Sirius, who had a first rank seat as James had inclined his head, spluttered and fall to the floor, the shock cutting his legs.

Severus blinked several times in surprise and frowned. Refusing to be embarrassed by what he thought was a stint to humiliate him, he decided to retaliate in kind. He then began to return the favour, not really sure what he was hoping for: to scare the kissing James away or to spur him into continuing the kiss.

Draco squeaked in shock. Remus was frowning, his eyes far away as he was deep in contemplation of something. Lucius' only outward sign of shock was his rapidly rounding eyes. Harry risked an eye out of the protection of Lucius' chest and goggled at the scene.

/Well,/ he commented/it certainly is a different way of settling a dispute, and give a new meaning to the muggle saying of 'make love, not war'./

Nearly all the eyes of the persons able to understand him turned to stare incredulously at him. Remus was still deep in thought.

"But, Harry… How can you kiss the Greasy Git?" Sirius' eyes, despite the 'horrific' vision, were still glued to the kissing pair.

"Well, there are cases when grease is appreciated." Remus mused.

"What?" They all eyed the mild mannered, who used to blush wildly if he heard such words as 'penis' and wouldn't-know-a-lewd-joke-even-if-he-sat-on-it Remus Lupin with shock.

He rolled his eyes. "Really, get your minds out of the gutter! I was thinking about junk food! Honestly, men!" He mock-huffed and crossed his arms on his chest.

"Besides, it's not like you planted the image into their heads, Moony." James commented from his place on the couch.

"I am in no way, shape and form, responsible for the Slytherins biased imagination." Remus declared haughtily, raising his chin in the air.

Both suddenly laughed, as Draco and Lucius exchanged a glance, trying to figure when exactly had James and Severus ended their kiss, and finally figuring Remus' out of character affirmation for the distraction it was.

"Can somebody please explain how comes there's two Harry?" Sirius enquired, looking alternatively from James to Harry and back, as he finally had noticed the overabundance of Potters.

"First, you have to take this oath, Padfoot." Remus gently made him repeat the oath.

James then took the stage, going to stand in front of Sirius. "Now, I need you to listen to me without interrupting, can you do that?"

Sirius, intrigued, nodded. James went on "I'm Prongs, back from the dead." Sirius visibly refrain from whatever he had been about to say. James continued his explanation. "Remember this essay we had to do in charms in our sixth year? The one on communications in the wizarding world?"

Sirius nodded. James started anew. "Well, I began to think about how it would be cleaner and easier on the stomach if somebody managed to create a sort of mirror-floo. I worked on it for my last school years and the two after that when I had a free moment during my Auror studies." He stopped to frown as he lost himself in his thoughts for a few minutes. Sirius religiously waited for the end of his explanations.

James came back to the present and shook his head to dispel old memories. "All I managed to create was a sort of stocking mirror, perhaps because it wasn't linked to another mirror when the Death Cheater attacked. In desperation, I managed to switch my place with that of my reflection. Though till now, I had no idea how I managed that. But that meant I had to dive into the mirror. I had taken all the precautions I could to ensure the mirror would not be destroyed, even if the house would burn down."

"But how did you get out?" It was not Sirius who had interrupted, but, surprisingly, Draco.

"Severus pulled me out." James deadpanned, the 'duh', although unsaid, was heard clear and plain by everybody.

"What I meant was, how was he able to pull you out?" Draco insisted.

James turned to Severus in question. "The only reason I see is that my hand was covered by some of Harry's blood, as I had to extricate one of Lucius' hair from between the fingers of one of his paws, and he had already bitten it till blood. And all the thanks I got was a deep scratch!" He glared at Harry, who masterfully ignored him in favour of playing with the tassel adorning the corner of a cushion.

"A blood link, that would do it." James acquiesced.

"You mean you didn't have a way out?" Lucius snorted "Of course not, you are, after all, half Gryffindor."

"La bave du crapaud n'atteint pas la blanche colombe. " James retorted. "Besides, I'll let you in on a little secret, Gryffindor bravery has nothing to do with recklessness, at all. Godric Gryffindor only rushed into situations he was sure he could handle." James sulked.

"How can we be sure you're really James Potter?" Sirius, curiously, was the one to voice this question, showing that, even if he really wanted to believe one of his best friends was back, life had finally taught him prudence.

James sighed, and walked to the door. He transformed into Prongs and back. Sirius rushed to hug him so fast the others nearly didn't see him move. James and Remus spent the next half an hour trying to console Sirius, who was alternating crying and muttering excuses about the switching of secret keepers. Once he was calm enough, they brought him back to the couch where they sat him near Harry, who straight away sat in his lap to cuddle his distraught godfather. He waved a paw in the air to attract his father's attention.

/I have a question!/

James nodded. "Yes, you in the middle!"

/How come you're calling Voldie 'Death Cheater'?/

"I'm calling Voldie 'Death Cheater'" James repeated Harry's question for those who didn't understand him, namely Remus and Sirius, "because that is what he calls himself. In French, 'vol' can have two meanings : either 'fly' or 'robbery'. Considering his quest for immortality, I consider he cheated Death of his own, and thus cheated Death."

Severus, who had been silent until now joined the conversation. "You were speaking French in the visions the mirror gave us."

James nodded. "My mother was half Japanese, a quarter Ostrich and a quarter French. I spoke French with her and every time I could in my father's hearing because it used to piss him off. And when he was pissed off with me, he let her alone." He added sotto-voce "I'm very good at pissing people off."

Severus' glare seemed to inform everybody that it was not a skill to be proud of.

"You seem to despise your father."

James sneered "Malfoy, despise is too mild a word to describe my feelings towards this authoritarian sanctimonious prick. The less contacts we had, the better. It was partly because of him that I had to go into Gryffindor, because of him that I had to become an Auror… Heir of Gryffindor, my…" He gulped "left eyebrow!"

"Your choice of swear words is…strange." Lucius remarked, since James, like nearly all teenagers, hadn't been known for his refined language.

"Blame Lily." James winced in remembrance "You do not swear in front of a child, James Potter, even a baby, you never know what words he might retain." He explained in a high falsetto. He shrugged "I guess it sticked."

"I thought you came from a loving family… Isn't it mandatory for people on the light side?"

James' answer of "Hardly" collided with Harry's of /Yeah, right!/ James explained "It was, like many pureblood families, an arranged marriage to which my mother consented to obey her family, and because The Prat presented himself under his best side. I wonder if he always was like this or if something happened to change him."

Sirius snorted "If it wasn't for the gap between their beliefs and opinions, he and my father would have been good friends. We got most of our pranks ideas from James' mother. And Remus"

Harry suddenly jumped on his paws /Dinner time!/

"Yes, enough of this maudlin sentimentality. Let's eat something!" Lucius summoned a House Elf to order dinner for everybody. Severus and Draco were frowning in thought, contemplating all they had learnt this day. All the Gryffindors had huddled into a corner, Harry finishing his retelling of his school years with James translating so that Remus and Sirius could add any commentaries they saw fit.

Once the dinner had been delivered, Lucius sat himself at the table and waited politely for the others to come. A quarter of an hour later, he was still alone at the table. He impatiently drummed his fingers on the table and shifted in his seat, he even cleared his throat, but to no avail.

The situation requested important measures. Lucius discreetly charmed all of Severus' books to 'gently' guide the Marauders at the table, hoping that the ruckus they were bound to make would attract his son and friend's attention.

His success exceeded by far his expectations. In a few minutes, he had, sat at the table, glaring and rubbing different parts of themselves Gryffindors, a fuming and glaring Potions Master, obviously already plotting revenge against the abuse done to his precious books, a bewildered Draco and, sat on his lap, a pouting Harry who had, somehow, coined him into rubbing his ears as compensation.

They had food piled into their plates, and were getting ready to eat when suddenly Severus banged his fist on the table.

"Malfoy!" he snarled, getting the attention of nearly all the people sat at the table. Nearly all because Lucius and Harry appeared lost in their own little world, Lucius rubbing a boneless Harry's ear. "No petting of animals at the table!"

The Gryffindors snickered. "And to think that **he** was the one in a hurry to eat!" James commented. Severus growled quite convincingly and strode to the cuddling pair. He wrenched Harry from Lucius' lap, making him mew loudly in protest. Lucius blinked as he came out of his daze.

"Food!" Severus rumbled, cutting Harry's protests short. Harry happily bounded to his seat. He mewled delightedly at the sight of his Dobby-made meal and proceeded to demolish the little piglet made of bacon that had been strutting into his plate. He purred as the tomato and cheese filling hit his taste buds. He never noticed the amused glance the others shot him.

They suddenly tensed as the sound of something leathery gliding on the floor was heard.

"Malfoy, you cancelled your jinx on the books, didn't you? They're not going to jump out of their shelves to attack us anymore, are they?" Sirius questioned, eyeing uncertainly the hundreds of books lined on the shelves.

Lucius smirked, enjoying how Sirius' discomfort eclipsed his previous embarrassment. "Of course I did" he frowned "at least on all the books I could directly aim at."

They all turned at Severus who nearly rolled his eyes "No, I don't have any hidden books."

"Well, maybe we should investigate what this noise is, then." Remus proposed unconvincingly.

James suddenly yelped and jumped out of his chair. He turned on himself, trying to get a hold of his braid, on which a book had closed.

"Alright, on the other hand, maybe not." Lucius smirked.

James glared at him "Well, we will ask for your opinion when **you** are the one with a book hanging from your hair!" he snapped.

Remus chuckled and went to the grumbling James' help. He sat him in his chair, brought his braid in his lap and pried the book open. His eyebrows arched as he read the title.

James grabbed the book from Moony's hands. His eyebrows shot towards his hair line. When he spoke, his voice was soft and wishful. "I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't holding the book in my hands. You have a book on Murano's glassworkers? Will you let me borrow it?" He turned puppy dog eyes at Severus, who was considering refusing on principle. James added a pout. Severus' wilting will crumbled. He sighed with a martyrised air "Why not, if you promise not to damage it in any way. It will at least keep you out of my hair for a few hours."

James smiled sunnily at him "I promise!" he swore. Severus had to rely on his hard-won control to avoid smiling back. Remus and Draco exchanged a surprised glance.

The rest of the dinner went quietly, James having eyes only for the book he had carefully placed at his side.

After having agreed on meeting the next morning, Sirius left with a pensive Remus. Draco and Lucius excused themselves soon after.

Severus then fled from the two Potters who were sniggering about something he didn't want to know about into his room. He finished his book and considered going into the living room to get another. Sighing, he got up from his bed and tiptoed to the door leading to his living room. Opening it a sliver, he pricked his ears for indications on what the two Potters were doing. He froze as he heard Harry's question.

/Why did mum made you swear an oath not to save her?/

James sighed and moped his tearing eyes. "When we were in sixth year, in the middle of the last term, she began to have those huge headaches, which would persist for a week more or less. Nothing would help." He sniffled a little and blew his nose, as Severus remembered how Lily had suddenly taken the habit of leaving the classes, how she would be absent for nearly a week at a time, and, more importantly, how Slughorn had enlisted his help in trying to create a more potent version of the Headache draught.

James' voice was so soft when he next spoke that Severus nearly missed it. Harry was listening with rapt attention.

"It got worse in time. She was having visual troubles too. Sometimes, she would see double, or through a sort of mist, or have some black points clouding her vision. Madam Pomfrey took her to Saint Mungo's but Lily wouldn't tell me what the diagnosis was. She told me she was waiting for a second advice."

James huddled on himself where he sat in front of the fire.

"She went to see a muggle Professor in London during the summer holydays. Two months into our seventh year, her symptoms worsened. She began to smell things that were not here…" James lost his battle against tears. Harry moved closer to comfort him. They cuddled for a while before James could speak.

"It was Remus who first understood that she had a brain tumour. We confronted her and she confessed that he was right. The muggles had confirmed it, and given where it was placed, surgery was useless and even dangerous. They gave her a five to ten years life expectancy, filled with pain and handicap. We promised we would help her the best we could. I even told her I could even marry her, because she was worrying that her parents wouldn't be able to pay for her treatment, and I had more than enough money. As time went on, and things got worse, she tried to release me from my promise, but I refused.

When we heard about the threat on our lives, I confessed to my research. She helped me improve it, and she told me about that Dark spell she had found, it was to create a shield over oneself by stealing somebody else's life force and magic. She told me she was sure she could tweak it so that her death would save at least your life, and provide you with a lingering protection. She said it was the least she could do, since she was already condemned…"

James hugged Harry tightly. "She said she wanted her death to be meaningful. And I couldn't refuse her. I'm so glad it worked…"

/So am I, dad, so am I. Though it's strange to know that Voldie in fact helped her protect me…/ he yawned /Maybe we should go to bed, we had a long day. Do you mind… Would you…./ Harry hung his head.

James tipped Harry's head up and smiled softly. "Don't worry. I'll keep the nightmares at bay. Let's enlarge my cot, and transfigure you a comforter, shall we?"

Harry hugged him and bounded to the cot. A few minutes later, a queen-sized cot was waiting for its two occupants. James and Harry settled, each rolled in their own comforter, whispering back and forth in the dark.

Severus softly closed his door and retired to bed. A few too short hours later, he was woken up by cold feet brushing against his legs and a lithe body settling against his own.

"Damn cat is taking all the place." James slurred before cuddling into Severus. Severus listened to the deepening of James' breath. He sighed and settled back against James' heat to sleep. There was always tomorrow to berate the impudent Gryffindor…

* * *

Glossary 

La bave du crapaud n'atteint pas la blanche colombe : the dribble of the toad does not attain the white dove meaning 'your calomnies can not hurt, or bother me.' 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French. And lame chapter title...

Beta : Max82, all remaining mistakes are my own...

Still here? On with the show!

Chapter 12 – Potter adventure in Dungeons Land

Severus was woken up by muffled sobs. He blinked a few times, trying to reconcile what he was hearing with the lack of tears on his face. His memory suddenly provided him with an image of James Potter sliding into his bed in the dead of the night. Though he was pretty sure James did not come in wearing a red silk nuisette as his traitorous mind would have him believing.

Severus stiffened as he heard a watery moan of 'Lily' coming from his bed partner. He mentally kicked himself. Lily's death, which had happened fourteen years ago for the rest of them, was a very recent event for the crying Gryffindor. Having spent all those years locked away asleep in a magical mirror with no link to the outside world, James Potter had just lost his beloved wife. It was a natural reaction to grieve, after all, and the contrary would have worried Severus, not that he would have shown it, of course.

And even knowing that her death was a few months away did nothing to alleviate the pain James felt. It did not compensate for the abruptness with which she had been ripped from both Potters' lives. Intellectual thoughts and feelings were very different in that aspect, Severus mused.

He vaguely considered getting up to wake the cat-brat up so that he could be the one taking care of his grieving father, but a sudden thought stopped him. James may be a proud Gryffindor, ready to let the world at large know how he felt, but he also was part Slytherin, with perfect masks.

Severus kicked himself mentally once again, hoping it would not become an habit, as he remembered how James himself had explained all about 'the babbling idiot' mask he had obviously worn all evening around them. That it had fooled him, even after James's explanations, was testimony to its efficiency.

Severus then became suspicious of James's reasons for invading his bed. Apparently, James thought that true hurt was a private matter, not to be witnessed by others. So, why did he go to Severus? The answer dawned on the Potions Master. As soon as Harry had fallen asleep, and once his grief had become too much to bear, James, so he could cry privately, had apparently opted to leave Harry to his sleep. He then had crawled in with Severus probably thinking that, given his reputation, Severus would be insensitive enough to, should James wake him up, not try and help him get over his hurt.

It was clear that any attempt to help would be unwelcome, even met with hostility, as it would be perceived as an attempt to either gather blackmail material, or try to ridicule the bereft James. Though the fact that the great James Potter was willing to take the risk of appearing weak in front of his old school Nemesis and not his son did strange things to Severus Snape. The sour man frowned, not wanting to explore the reasons why he suddenly had a swarm of butterflies taking residence in his stomach or why he suddenly felt warm all over. Instead, he went off at a tangent.

_Damned Gryffindors for trying to shoulder all their burdens alone!_ Being extra careful to keep his breathing deep enough to indicate sleep, Severus turned on his side and threw an arm around the crying James. James stiffened for a few minutes, but when it became clear to him that Severus was asleep, he relaxed and let the tears fall, clutching Severus's arm by fistfuls of his nightshirt's sleeve.

Severus didn't remember falling asleep again, but he noticed that when he woke up again, he was alone in bed, and the pleasant smell of breakfast was wafting from the living-room. As well as a sibilant, "Shh!"

/Well, excuse me, I just thought I heard you asking me to STRIP!/

"Shh! You're going to wake Snape up! And I didn't ask you to strip, I simply asked you to take your shirt off! I just need to check something."

Severus heard nothing for a good solid five minutes. He imagined Harry looking up at James, blinking in confusion like he did when Severus himself asked him a Potions-related question in class. He then heard the rustling of clothes.

"Nice fur. Must keep you warm in the summer, though. Now turn around."

/Like that?/ The eavesdropping Severus could easily hear Harrry's smirk.

"Ah, bloody ah! No, it's your back I want to see."

/Okay./ Even Harry's drawl seemed to purr. He then suddenly began to giggle. /It tickles!/

James snorted. "Hold still! Aha, and what do we have here?"

/That's just a mole. I've always had it./ Harry suddenly sucked his breath in. /It didn't change, did it?/ Harry sounded on the verge of panic. James was prompt to reassure him. "Nah, cancer is not hereditary in the wizarding world. Besides, it is something else entirely." James patted Harry's shoulder before squeezing it. "You can get dressed now. Here, let's get on with our game of show and tell."

/Hey, what are you doing?/

"Showing you, of course! What did you think I was doing? No need to answer that. Damn, why does Snape favour shirts with so many miniscule buttons?"

Severus winced as James growled, frustrated. _My shirt'd better be in perfect condition without a rip, or you'll reimburse me till the last button, Potter._ Severus's morose thoughts came to a screeching halt when James cheered, more or less silently. "There! Now tell me what you see."

Severus heard a sharp intake of breath. /Is it a tatoo?/

James chuckled. "Nope, it's a birthmark. Yours looks the same, only slightly paler and smaller. And to everyone else, it looks like a plain old mole. It's the seal of our family. Now, if you're done eating and look presentable, I'm going to introduce you to the two founders of our line. Ready?"

/Always. But, the students?/

"Are never up before ten on Saturdays. Or weren't in my time."

/The professors?/

"Rely on their wards to know if there is trouble brewing. And they like to enjoy their students-free time. Besides, it's in the dungeons, and I know of enough secret passages not to be seen in case of emergency. Let's go!"

Severus couldn't believe his ears when he heard the door to his quarters open and close. And then the weighty silence of an empty room. Swearing, he rushed to Harry's room, thankful that since Harry was not in residence, the wards were not on. He opened Harry's trunk, and, not wanting to lose the time he would need to follow both Potters, he aimed his wand at it. "_Accio Invisibility Cloak_!"

He sighed as the fabric pelted him in the face. Grabbing it, he hastened in the corridor. He spent a few minutes checking his wards to discover the direction the two runaway Potters had taken. Once he knew, he cast a silencing charm on himself and hid under the Cloak. He then set to follow the father and son.

One after the other they went, until James led them to a dead end. James stopped and pricked his index on the corner of a sharp stone. James next brought his abused finger to his eyes to make sure he had drawn blood. Satisfied with his inspection, James put his finger on a pale transparent stone embedded in the brick wall. The stone gave way under the pressure. The wall opened silently, revealing a painting of a sunny clearing, a bubbling stream rushing joyously through it. Nobody was in, or at least nobody Severus could see from his hiding place.

James knocked on the frame. A dishevelled blond young man out of breath pocked his head in the frame.

His eyes widened as he looked from James to Harry. A blush stained his cheeks. "Oops!" he exclaimed, stepping fully into the frame, gathering the folds of a pale green sheet around his body. "We were not awaiting visitors. Password? Nice to see you again, James, by the way."

James rolled his eyes. He carefully looked both ways in the corridor before bounding nearer to the frame. "Could you ask your partner to see us once presentable? I'd like to officially introduce Harry to you both."

The blonde nodded. "We'll be ready, but it may take a few minutes."

James snickered. "We'll wait for you. It's not like we have many other engagements, after all. Fuíl Gadaíochter."

Severus frowned, the password sparking something in his mind. The blond came back a few minutes later, dressed in black pants and a white shirt. The painting opened, revealing a spacious room. Severus raised an eyebrow, both at the choice of password and at the corner of the bed peaking from the open door. A bed he recognised from an earlier vision. So, the room really existed ... And Potter knew not only where it was, but also the password needed to get in. He should have known. Promising himself to come back at a later time, he made sure both Harry and James had entered the room before leaving. He waited till he was well on his way to his quarters before removing the Invisibility Cloak. Mulling on the ever-evolving Potter mystery, he strode back to his quarters to find a distasteful surprise waiting for him in the form of Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger knocking on his door.

Pasting his more frightening sneer on his face, he went to meet the Gryffindor inconvenience.

"And what are the two of you doing here? I always thought Gryffindors wilted if kept in the dungeons?"

Weasley reddened in anger but didn't dare say anything to his professor's face. He chose to seethe instead. Severus's morale climbed a few notches at the sight before it took a dive down into his feet. With his luck and the Potters' awful timing, he was sure Harry and James would choose this precise moment to saunter back down the corridor. How in hell was he supposed to explain Potter Senior's return? Should he make them swear? But that would lead to a whole lot more questions, such as: would they be capable of respecting the oath? Would they understand the reasons behind it? Granger maybe, but Weasley surely not.

Would they refuse? Would he get away with Obliviating the impudent Gryffindors? Did Harry want them to know? Did James? And since when did he think of the Marauder as James? And why did he care what they wanted?

Couldn't Lucius or Albus feel they were needed? Hell, he would even take Black and Lupin. Why always him? He was so not equipped to deal with Gryffindors, especially so early on a weekend. He sighed, cutting short Hermione's explanation of the reasons of their presence.

"Potter is still sleeping. You'll see him at lunch. Now, vacate the premises before I am forced to take points from Gryffindor." He watched in satisfaction as Granger tugged a reddening Weasley away. Severus toyed with the idea of silently following them in order to deduct points from the Weasley-plosion he knew would occur rather sooner than later.

He suddenly tensed. None of the Potters knew the password to his quarters! He shuddered at the idea of what could and would happen if James and Harry decided to trek through the castle to try and find a chimney to Floo him. Which meant he couldn't lock them out, as was his first impulse. Damn, why him?

Brooding, he went to return the Cloak to its hiding place and prevaricated for a few minutes. What should he do? Two solutions came to his mind: he could go back to bed, pretending nothing had happened, so that they wouldn't suspect he'd followed them ... No, that would not do, he would still have two Potters on his doorstep.

He ate his breakfast and opted for a quick shower. He was rinsing the shampoo out of his hair when somebody started pounding on his door.

He took his time, making sure he had got rid of all the suds, put his bathrobe on and a towel on his shoulders to get the water dripping from his hair. He slipped thick white wool socks on his feet and pulled his slippers on. And only then did he go to open the door.

He looked at both Potters down his nose, bestowing them with his best scowl, managing to look intimidating even with his wet hair. He then uttered the most feared words his students heard from him. "Detention. The both of you."

Both Potters mirrored each other, mouths hanging open and eyes bulging.

Severus stepped on the side and purred, "Inside."

James and Harry looked at each other. Harry gulped and, conditioned by his years as a Potions student under Snape, scurried inside. James cast a longing glance at the empty corridor. He gulped as Severus grabbed him by the wrist and tugged him inside, his freezing silence foreseeing nothing good for both Potters.

They never noticed Ron and Hermione, who had peeked around the corner just in time to see James being forced inside of the Potions Master's quarters.

They looked at each other, eyes big and mouths open. Ron tried to talk, but Hermione shook her head and grabbed a fistful of his robes to drag him away from the dungeons.

She didn't relent her grip until they were in her favourite corner in the library. She then released the sulking Ron into a chair and cast a silencing charm around their table just in time for Ron to explode.

"That Greasy Git! How dare he grab Harry like that!"

"Ron…" Hermione tried to interrupt, but her voice was drowned under Ron's louder one.

"And Harry was so terrorised he didn't dare to protest, and..."

Hermione had had enough. "Ron!" she shouted, stopping his rant. He blinked at her, his mind blank, incapable to understand that yes, Hermione had raised her voice at him. The enormity of this fact rendered him unable to change tracks so quickly. So he stayed silent, gaping like a fish.

Hermione sighed and rubbed her face with her hands.

"Ron ,apart from that, did you notice?" She was nearly bounding in her chair with excitement.

"Uh ... No?" Ron answered without thinking.

"Ron!" Hermione huffed, desperate by her friend's blindness. "It's Harry!"

"And?"

"Think about it." Hermione breathed deeply and prayed for patience. "Didn't you notice something strange about Harry?" She tried another angle.

"Yeah! He grew his hair! But it looked good on him." Ron smiled, happy he could answer Hermione.

"Men..." was Hermione's only commentary.

"What?" Ron crossed his arms on his chest and sulked, offended on his gender's behalf.

"Ron." Hermione put her hand on his arm in an attempt to placate him. "Harry is your best friend! Don't tell me you didn't notice!" She sounded almost pleading.

Ron thought silently for a few minutes. "Apart from the way the Dungeons's Bat was forcing him inside of his quarters? Do you think he..." He gulped, horrified at the atrocity of this eventuality "…is forcing himself on poor Harry? And that is why Harry didn't fight? Because he was too terrorised to fight back?" Ron was warming up to his theory and working himself into righteous anger on the behalf of his poor best friend. "We have to go and see the Headmaster right now!" He stood up, ready to go.

"Yes," Hermione snidely agreed. "And we might take advantage of the occasion to tell him that Harry's transformation has ended."

Ron's eyes rounded. He whooped and did a short victory dance. He grabbed the reluctant Hermione's arm and rushed out of the library, a horrified Hermione in tow.

While Ron was pulling a resigned Hermione through the whole castle to the amusement of the other students, Harry and James were grumbling as they were elbow-deep in a barrel full of pickled toads.

Harry was slicing them open with his claws and James was separating their entrails into piles composed of the different organs before putting them into vials for the students to use. He ended by throwing the remains into another smaller barrel.

The Potions Master was seated at his desk, reading the latest issue of _Poisons and Antidotes_. He closed it with a smirk after he had finished it. "So, Potter, were your ancestors really attracted to large flightless birds?"

James and Harry blinked at each other in surprise. James recovered first and smirked back. Harry glanced at the two of them and wisely decided not to get involved. He went to wash his paws at the sink.

James was gauging Severus. "Well, I can't talk for my ancestry, but that never seemed to faze my father. He did, after all, marry my mother."

Harry was ticked; he didn't like not understanding a conversation going around him, a surviving skill he had picked from his days in the Dursley household. It was better to always be as prepared as he could when dealing with his 'family'. For a moment, a thought made him flutter in excitement at the prospect of revenge, but then he realised he couldn't drop his newly resurrected father on his Muggle relatives, since his return was a secret. It would have been such a satisfying show. Life was unfair, he decided as he watched his Slytherin prepare his next jibe.

The proverbial fire lighted suddenly over Harry's head. "My grandmother was an ostrich Animagus?" he blurted.

Severus snorted. "Took you long enough, Potter."

James shook his head in sadness. He quickly washed his hands before putting a damp hand on Harry's shoulder. "It was one of her most embarrassing secrets. She nearly never registered because she was embarrassed. Really, who heard about a Japanese ostrich? It was good teasing material for those in the know. When I was small, I always confused 'Ostereich', which is Austria in German, and 'ostrich'. Later, it would just slip out on purpose..." James pouted.

"My poor son, you have no idea what a weird family you were born into. We all have strange Animagus forms. My mother was an ostrich, her father was a kangaroo and her mother a lemur. It became a sort of familial contest to see who would end with the strangest or more normal one since this great grandfather who was a sea horse. I'd say you won the more normal one paws down. My spouse never tried, but I say a bear would have been fitting in certain circumstances."

"Anyways," Severus cut in sharply, "were any of you thinking? Don't you understand the concept of secrecy?"

James straightened and linked both hands behind his back before droning. "The state or condition of being secret, hidden or concealed."

Severus stalked to where James was standing. "And would you say that your idiotic morning wandering fell into that category?" he interrogated James in a purring voice.

James straightened in an effort to appear taller. "Yes," he answered.

Severus nearly chocked on his saliva. This was visibly not the answer he was expecting. "Excuse me?"

James nodded. "Well, it's widely known that James Potter is dead. Has been for fourteen years. Since everybody knows that dead people do not come back to life, is it my fault that I look so much like him? Besides, with my hair long as it is, I lack the distinctive Potter hair. Ergo, I'm not a Potter, I just bear a strong resemblance to him."

This demonstration let Severus spluttering. He jumped back when James advanced on him. His voice was strangled when he enquired about James's actions. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, and stepped back quickly as he found himself seeing James's face from nearer than he would have liked.

James, his attempt foiled, pouted like a three-year-old. "I just wanted to kiss your sulk away ... You're so cute when you sulk!"

Severus was horrified. "Stop that, you lunatic!"

"Damn, and I nearly had him." He turned to Harry and mock-whispered, "He's always out of commission for a few minutes after a kiss. How are we going to make our escape to meet with Padfoot and Moony near the lake then?"

Meanwhile, Ron, driven by his rightful anger, stopped abruptly in front of the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office, making an out-of-breath Hermione collide with him.

He fired sweet after sweet at the immobile guardian who suddenly leapt out of the way when Ron mentioned cockroach clusters.

Shrugging, he tugged on Hermione's wrist as he leapt up the revolving stairs. She tripped, trying to regain her footing by grabbing the back of Ron's robes, bringing both of them down.

The stairs deposited the wriggling pile of Gryffindors at the feet of one surprised Headmaster, who hid his chuckles under a slight cough.

"And to what do I owe this ... hasty visit?" He twinkled at the two Gryffindors, who were sorting themselves post-haste.

As soon as they were standing Hermione opened her mouth, but Ron beat her to it. "It's Snape!" he exclaimed.

Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. "It's Professor Snape, Ron."

"Yeah, him ... We went to see Harry but he told us Harry was still sleeping, so we left. But when we came back, he was forcing a terrorised Harry in his quarters! He's molesting him!" Ron ended with a huff, crossing his arms on his chest.

The Headmaster's twinkle dimmed a little as he sat behind his desk and crossed his hands on its top..

"Those are serious accusations, Mister Weasley," he started.

"And totally unrealistic" Hermione cut in. "Frankly, Ron, you should stop jumping to conclusions. We know why Harry had to move in with Professor Snape. We also know that he is not authorised to be outside of the Professor's quarters alone. We just came across them as Professor Snape caught him red-handed, that's all. Harry is probably in detention now." She sighed. "He probably won't be authorised to see us now. Why couldn't he obey for once?"

Albus chuckled. "Whatsoever, I'll check on them in the morning. But I must ask of you not to disclose those theories to anyone, we don't need the Ministry to poke its nose into Hogwarts now."

Both Ron and Hermione nodded their consent.

"If that is all?" Albus wanted to know.

Hermione suddenly jumped on her feet. "I can't believe I nearly forgot! Harry's transformation has ended!"

"Really?" The Headmaster was doubtful. "I think they would have warned me. The only way for the transformation to end would be for Harry to find his soulmate."

Ron gagged. "Don't tell me _Professor_ Snape is Harry's soulmate! He really has the most rotten luck I've ever seen somebody have!"

The old wizard chuckled in mirth. "No, I think the whole wizarding world would have heard of it, should this be the case. Severus can be quite vocal when he puts his mind to it."

The two students shared a smirk in agreement on this opinion of their strict Potions Master.

Dumbledore thought fast to prevent further questioning. "They must have been testing a glamour in case the Ministry decided to visit. I'll ask them. If that is all?"

Hermione and Ron stood up, Hermione sporting her 'research face' and tugging Ron in the direction of the library.

Albus popped a lemon drop in his mouth and began the trek to the dungeons. He arrived just in time to witness an amusing event. Remus and Sirius had apparently decided to come and see James and Harry.

Severus was glaring at them on the threshold. He finally spoke.

"You may collect Potter Junior for the day, providing you bring him back before dinner. Potter Senior will spend the day in detention with me for the stint he pulled this morning. The temporary password is Inconveniences."

He then pushed Harry outside with one hand and closed the door with the other.

The two Marauders and a half exchanged a shrug and turned to leave. They nodded in salute to Albus as they passed him by.

An exasperated Severus opened the door when Albus knocked.

"Headmaster, what are you doing here?" he asked, calming as soon as he saw who had been asking for permission to enter his quarters. He stepped outside to let his employer enter.

Albus chuckled as he spied an unhappy James sulking in front of the chimney. Albus addressed him.

"So James, what did you do to earn yourself a detention?"

Severus answered when it became clear that James wouldn't. "This ignoramus took his son out for a trip in the dungeons without my permission while he knew perfectly well his son was not allowed outside without a Slytherin."

"James…" Albus sighed. "You should really know better."

"I've had enough of being hidden! I've spent nearly half of my life hidden!" James exclaimed, trying to rake his hands through his hair and getting stuck at the beginning of his braid.

Albus gently helped him disentangle his hands and waved his wand at James's dishevelled hair. A short incantation later, James's hair was back into a pristine braid.

_Strange. Why would Albus know of any girly charm?_ Severus wondered.

"Anyway, I came to warn you that Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger saw you pulling James inside of your quarters and..."

Severus interrupted him. "Let me guess. Mister Weasley jumped to conclusions."

Albus nodded. "He did. Miss Granger put him to rights, though. I told them James was Harry's glamoured form in case of a visit from the Ministry. I think she went to research glamours in the library."

Severus pinched the base of his nose. "All right. We'll be in the laboratory to brew the potions needed in the hospital wing."

Albus nodded and took his leave.

Severus turned to James. "Come along, if we finish soon enough, I think I have some Polyjuice Potion you can use to go and cavort with your friends and son."

James nearly skipped behind the Potions Master.

Everything went uncharacteristically well for Severus and James without any awkward dancing around each other or dispute, as James followed Severus's instructions to the letter. They worked well until the last batch of Skelegro. Severus had insisted from the start that James was to tuck his braid under his borrowed robes as it could easily catch fire if let to swing back and forth behind his back.

It was Severus who surprisingly had an accident. His sleeve unfortunately caught fire as he stepped aside to prevent a falling James, who had slipped on an escaping Flobberworm. Severus's flailing arm caught the burner, lighting the sleeve of his robe. Severus quickly divested himself of his robes, the bottom of them making a whole cooling cauldron of Headache draught splatter on himself.

James took the empty cauldron off of Severus's lap and extended his hand to help him to his feet. "Go take a shower, I'll put everything into order here."

Severus was reluctant to leave a facetious James alone with so many volatile ingredients. Who knew what the Gryffindor could invent in the meantime?

"Hey," James said softly, spooking Severus with his mind-reading, "don't worry. I will only put everything back into its place, bottle the finished potions and wash the floor and cauldrons." He used the hand he had put on Severus' s back to push him gently in the direction of the door. "Shoo, take your time and enjoy the warm water."

Severus walked, as if in a trance, to his quarters, uncaring of any student who might see him in this sloppy state. He was cradling the hand James had used to pull him up against his heart, which was doing strange somersaults. He couldn't decide if he liked the way his hand and back were tingling or not. He spared a few seconds trying to understand why those body parts were tingling, but his mind would always come back to the two hours he had spent brewing in a companionable atmosphere with his arch-nemesis.

Shrugging, he decided to stop thinking about it and materialised this thought by slamming the door to his quarters. He peeled off his soggy clothes on his way to the shower, for once not caring about the mess he was making.

He was standing in the shower, enjoying the way the soothing warm water felt gliding down his body, trying very hard not to think of anything.

His peace was suddenly disturbed by a loud shout. "Archlör!" James growled as he grabbed Severus's left arm. "You're a Death Eater!"

Severus was surprised at the strength of the sting he felt at hearing those words coming from James. He ripped his arm away from James's grip and snarled.

"What I am that should be of importance to you, Potter," he spat, "is NAKED!"

He tried to force his way around James but James grabbed him and shoved him against the shower stall.

"I'm not letting my only son alone with you until I have Dumbledore's explanations!"

Severus hit James in the stomach with his joined hands. James fell to the floor. Severus jumped over James's prone form and fled the room. Winded, James climbed back to his feet and followed him.

Severus slammed the door of his room in James's face and locked it. James pounded on it. Severus opposed an icy silence to all of James's questions.

James changed into Prongs and rammed into he door. Severus, clothed only in pants, fled into the living room.

James ran after him and tackled him on the rug in front of the chimney. Severus rolled on top. James rolled them over and sat on Severus's stomach.

Severus tried to punch him. James bent over and immobilised Severus's wrists to the floor.

"You do realise that it is this attitude of yours that irritates people? They don't realise that your aloofness is due to shyness and fear to be hurt. They think that you're despising them, and, as you don't seem to fit in, they have no fear of retaliation from your friends." James stopped to get his breath back.

"People fear what they don't understand, and they don't understand differences. They're not comfortable with them as they disrupt their comfortable lives. So they push you away. And your sarcasm does nothing to help."

"It then makes you vulnerable to people wanting to take advantage of you because you hunger for acceptance and friendship."

Severus snarled. "Why should I be the one to make the first step if I'm the shy one? Your theory has a few holes."

James smiled sadly and, releasing Severus's wrists, wrapped his arms around himself. "Not really shy, more like cautious. And I don't know. Maybe because you're way more intelligent and mature than we, usual people, are?"

Severus snorted. "You really are something else. Where did the arrogant Gryffindor I knew go?"

"I think he grew up…"

Severus was about to answer when the door of Severus's quarters opened.

"Really, James," Remus teased, "you really can't be left alone."

Sirius shook his head. "Detention, is that what they call it nowadays?"

Severus frowned. Both of the former Marauders were taking it too well. James, for his part, made a good try at spontaneously combusting by means of a blush.

Harry, who had just come in, confused his father's embarrassment with anger. His hissing brought everybody's attention to him.

James turned to him. "Harry, what's wrong?"

Harry was a sight to see, with his ears flat on his skull, his hair standing on end and his tail all puffed up. He rushed to James and Severus. He was swiping his paw to claw James but Severus reacted quicker. He embraced James and brought him down to his chest, making Harry miss.

Harry was incensed. /I won't let you hurt him! He's one of my Slytherins! And he's the only spy we have in the Death Eaters' ranks!/

"I kind of figured that for myself, you know." James's answer took the wind out of Harry's sails. "Well, I imagine Albus wouldn't let you live with him if he really was a Death Eater."

"Unless he managed to pull the wool over Albus's eyes…"

"Sirius!" Remus chastised him. He turned to Severus. "We came to see if we could have lunch with James, but if you're otherwise occupied…"

James quickly shot to his feet and grabbed Severus's hand to, once again, pull him up. "Lunch, yes, let's eat. Will you join us, Severus?"

"I'm not sure…"

"Come on, I need you there, or it will go downhill. You know us Gryffindors … We are forced to eat here instead of the Great Hall. Think of all the things that could happen. A food fight…"

Severus relented post-haste. "All right, you win. Let me get dressed." Severus dashed into his room.

James smirked. "I knew he would comply if I threatened his quarters' cleanliness. He's such a neat freak! Remus, can you get me those books?"

"Which ones?"

"The ten steps one and the potions ones."

Remus nodded and left at a run. When he came back, everyone was seated at the table. Remus deposited his books near a startled Severus's plate.

James explained. "You're going to learn to be an Animagus. You need another back-up plan, imagine what would happen if they finally realised and put an anti-Portkey ward? You'll then be forced to hide, and what better way to do it than into your Animagus form to avoid being recognised and captured? Luck will only last so long. We can't afford to lose you." Severus tried to interrupt, but James frowned and went on sternly. "You're learning and that's final! Please!" James made his best puppy-eyes at Severus.

Severus agreed with a sigh. "But only because I've always wanted to try. And having two Animagi on hand will perhaps shorten the process."

James cheered. "I can't wait to see what you'll be!"

/A feline obviously! Miaw!/

"I don't know, I think he'd make a splendid canine, what with all the growling he does. Not to forget that he can be very territorial." Sirius couldn't resist contradicting, hoping he had correctly interpreted Harry's mewling.

"With the way he is devouring his book? No way! More like a goat or a worm." Remus teased when he noticed how engrossed Severus was in the Animagus book. "Don't you agree, Severus?"

He had to call him thrice before Severus consented to come out of his book-induced daze.

Once he had his attention, Remus asked him, "So, do you agree with my theory, Severus?"

"I perhaps would … If I knew what it was."

James smirked. "Ever the Slytherin, I see. We were discussing the possibilities of what your Animagus form could be. I can't remember if you ever took the Animalia Revelae potion when you were a student. Do you already know what your form will be? Maybe it evolved?"

"We'll just have to see later. Now we eat. Perhaps we should write our guesses on a parchment and put them in a sealed envelope. The winner could buy everybody lunch or dinner…" Sirius proposed.

Harry was nearly jumping in his seat. Remus chuckled. "Perhaps we could feed the kitten before he suddenly decides to hunt and kill his plate?"

Harry's stomach agreed even as he glared at Remus. Sirius and James laughed, and Severus even smirked. He transfigured his spoon into a bookmark and carefully marked his place before closing the book. He got up and carried the books to his armchair.

As soon as he was back at the table, he summoned a house-elf to bring the food.

The conversation during lunch was lively. Severus even participated as it rolled on the hows of the Animagus transformation.

They were enjoying a dark chocolate cake with chantilly when Harry made a pseudo-innocent remark.

/If Lucius was a cat, I think he'd be a Skogkatt. What with all his hair… He'd make a perfect cat./

James frowned and turned to his primping son. "Harry, we will have a talk about this fondness you seem to have for Lucius Malfoy."

Harry stopped mid-lick to stare at his father, the tip of his tongue hanging out of his mouth adding to his shocked air. He soon sucked his tongue in and gulped as James continued to grumble. "I **will **speak with him too."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Chill, James! Hold your thestrals! It's not like you caught them kissing, or worse…"

James slammed his hands flat on the table. "I won't wait till they get there! He … He … He's … and Harry is only a child!"

"James." Remus tried to calm him. "Harry never was a child. Don't be over-protective or he'll run away. He's just like you in that aspect."

James's eyes brightened, tears menacing to spill. "But I've lost so much time already, I can't bear the thought of losing him when I just found him."

"I know James, but you will never lose him, unless you smother him."

Severus frowned, ill at ease. "Enough of that. It is of no use to make plans on the ashwinder." Severus interjected, wiping his wand out of his sleeve and aiming at James. "_Glamouris_. There! Now, you go with your cohorts and run outside to play tag or any other silly game you Gryffindors play. I want to have a few hours of calm to read those books."

Harry was the first out, followed by Sirius and then Remus tugging a now nearly Malfoy-blond and pouting James Potter.

Sighing with happiness at having his quarters back to himself for the first time since the beginning of this ordeal, Severus settled in his favourite armchair, a cup of tea with an everlasting warming charm in easy reach.

Laughing Potters clamouring into his quarters shook Severus out of his rereading of _Ten Easy Steps to become an Animagus_.

He raised an eyebrow at the sight of a muddy and pouting Harry.

James was grinning."You know Harry, it is cats that are supposed to hunt squids, not the other way around."

/Ha, bloody ha, dad./ Harry disappeared behind Severus's newly repaired bedroom door. A few minutes later, water running could be heard.

James went to sit on the rug in front of the chimney. He presented his hands to the roaring fire. "So, did you have a good read?"

Severus closed the book and drummed his fingers on the cover. "Very different from the other books on the subject. A refreshing point of view, too."

James smirked. "Good, I'm glad you liked it. It will make learning that much easier. The author is a good one, too bad he never wrote anything else."

A damp and clean Harry came back into the room and settled on the rug near his father. He yawned a little and put his head on his father's nearest tigh. James rubbed one of his ears, delighted when Harry began to purr. He began to introduce changes into his rhythm and smiled brightly when Harry's purring varied accordingly.

They went on like that for a few minutes before disaster struck.

It began by Harry tensing, his purring hitching. It went un-noticed, as both adults were distracted, Severus by a Potions book and James by his gazing into the fire. Harry quickly attracted their attention when he started to moan and tensed as he was pulled into the throes of a Voldemort-induced vision.

Harry opened his eyes to find himself looking through Voldemort's. His eyes scanned through a sea of black robes and white masks. Bored, he began to caress the length of his wand, taking a sick pleasure at the shivering of fear running through his followers.

"Bellatrix!" he called snappily.

The insane Death Eater (or was it Death Eateress? Harry's mind wondered) grovelled to the centre of the circle.

"Macnair! Avery! Nott! Parkinson!" Voldemort barked.

The named men went to kneel behind Bellatrix.

"So, what did the vampires have to tell?"

Bellatrix cackled madly. The men shuddered.

"They do not know, no, they don't!" she exclaimed, her voice rising and decreasing, her eyes rolling around. "The little bloodsuckers!" she cackled anew.

"So," Voldemort's voice cut like a gush of artic wind, "you have no lead on the deoghail?"

The Death Eaters gulped. They knew what this tone of voice promised. Bellatrix hugged herself and began to rock back and forth on her knees. "No, no, no, no," she chanted. "They don't know … Don't know, don't tell, or you're going to wake a dry husk!" she sing-sang and then laughed shrilly.

"So, my dear Bellatrix, you think the Vampires know something but refuse to share with us?"

Bellatrix didn't care about the hint of danger into her Lord's voice. She continued rocking on her knees repeating, "I failed my Lord," over and over.

Macnair fidgeted, bringing Voldemort's attention to him. "You wanted to add something, Macnair?" The Dark Lord's tone was deceptively benign.

"My Lord." sweat began to pool on Macnair's upper lip. "I spoke with a Lady Vampire…"

"Spare us the details of your dalliances, Macnair," Voldemort warned him.

Macnair nodded a few times. "She told me that her Sire was their coven's historian, and that he researched the same subject. He was intrigued because the translation of 'deoghail' is 'blood sucker' or 'stealer'…"

"I think we are all aware here of your fascination with History, Macnair," Voldemort cut in sharply in anger.

Mac Nair gulped. "Well, her Sire since concluded that, even if the terms were similar, the 'deoghail' had nothing to do with Vampires."

Voldemort tapped his fingers on the armrests of his throne. "You have six weeks to find a lead. Oh, and here's a little remainder of what will happen to you should you fail. _Crucio_!"

His eyes glinted with gleeful malevolence as he stared at the Death Eaters writhing in pain on the floor.

James was worried as Harry's body tensed and his muscles shook in spasms. James shivered when the Dark Lord's voice came out of Harry's mouth. He turned frightened eyes to Severus, who had just kneeled near them, placing two potions on the floor near his thigh.

When Harry started to convulse and suddenly screamed, a tear slid down James's cheek. When Harry's scream increased in volume, James rushed to Severus's side. Trembling, James grabbed Severus's arm and hid his face against Severus's shoulder with a cry of distress.

Severus stared at him, torn between the impulse of pushing the encroaching Gryffindor off of him and the want to draw the shivering James into his embrace. Shaking his head, he bent to try and shake Harry out of his vision.

Harry's screams died suddenly, leaving their ears ringing with the sudden silence. James turned his head from its shelter in Severus's shoulder and looked at his waking son.

With a whimper, he threw himself at Harry's side and began to wipe Harry's tears with a trembling hand.

Severus bent and helped James settle Harry against his chest. He then made Harry drink a pain reliever potion.

"Potter … Harry." Harry whimpered, and, mimicking his father's earlier action, hid his face against James's shoulder.

Severus sighed and tried again. "Will you let me see what this vision was about?"

Harry shuddered and turned to him. He gave his Slytherin a curt nod in agreement.

Severus pointed his wand at Harry. "_Legilimens_!"

He frowned at what Harry saw. He reached for the second potion and gave it to a nearly panicking James. "Dreamless sleep. Make him drink half of it and put him in bed. Then drink the other half and go to sleep. I'm going to warn the Headmaster."

James nodded, his wide eyes giving him the lost look of a hurting little boy. Severus's heart clenched, but he stomped on his need to comfort James and left to his office.

Severus reflected on his strange reactions and feelings around one James Potter all the time it took him to jot down a few words on a parchment explaining Harry's vision. He warded it so that only Albus could open and read it.

"Fawkes," he called.

The phoenix trilled as he popped in Severus's office.

Severus handed him the folded parchment. "Can you deliver this to Albus? It would be more inconspicuous than if I was to hand it to him in the Great Hall…" he trailed as he realised that he was explaining himself to a bird. A highly intelligent bird, but a bird nonetheless.

Fawkes emitted a bird-chuckle as if mocking him, or at least it appeared so to the sulking Severus. The phoenix took the missive and popped away.

Severus debated for a few minutes before he threw a pinch of Floo powder into the fire. "The Hide Away" he called, knowing Lupin and Black were in their rooms.

He stuck his head in the hearth. "Lupin!" he barked.

Remus kneeled in front of Severus's head. "Was there something you wanted, Severus?" he asked.

"Potter had a vision. The Headmaster will probably call for a reunion of the Order soon."

Remus paled. "Is Harry alright?"

Severus nodded. "I gave him a pain relieving potion as well as some Dreamless sleep. I gave some to his father too. Didn't any of you think to explain to him about his son's visions?"

Remus raised an eyebrow. Was it concern he detected in Severus's voice? And about James Potter, too. _The next few months will be interesting_. Remus shook his head to dispel his thoughts and returned to the situation at hand. "Harry mentioned them, but knowing him, he downplayed their importance. Anyways, thank you for warning us."

Severus grunted and ended the call. He decided to put an appearance at dinner in order to keep an eye on his Slytherins. He strode to the Great Hall in his impressive manner. He nodded in greeting to his fellow Professors and repressed a relieved sigh as he spied Fawkes perched on the Headmaster's shoulder.

All during dinner, a question nagged at him; why hadn't he be called? Was he suspected of treason? Without Harry's vision, they would have had no way of knowing Voldemort was after this 'deoghail'. His paranoia suddenly flared. What if Voldemort knew about the link he shared with the Boy-Who-Lived? What if he decided to let them see that, so they too would research the deoghail, only for Voldemort to send some of his Death Eaters to steal their results?

He shook his head slightly; no need to let his paranoia increase – he already had enough of that. He quickly finished his meal, in a hurry to get back to his quarters.

He was in sight of his door when he noticed two seventh year Slytherins waiting for him at his office's door.

Silently he opened the door and gestured for them to enter. He sat himself behind his desk. He frowned mightily, content with this possibility to let his displeasure be known. He waited patiently for his students to speak.

"Professor, can you sign us a pass for the Restricted Section?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you would like to tell me why you want this pass, Perelli?" His mind confirmed that, yes, Perelli's father was a Death Eater, and his friend's was a supporter. So, this was Voldemort-related.

"We have research to do on the symbolism and uses of blood in magic for DADA. And as you are our head of House..."

The Potions Master unlocked his drawer and retrieved a form from one of the files situated in it. He filled in the blanks and signed it, taking a mental note to warn the Headmaster about this 'research'.

He handed it to his Slytherin student but didn't let go yet.

"You will ask Madam Pince what books she recommends for your research. I suggest asking Madam Pomfrey too. And you will use those books, and only them. Should I learn of any other book being **borrowed **without permission, you will not like the detentions I will come up with. Am I clear, Mister Perelli? Mister Ungrave?"

The students nodded, their faces impassive as befitted all Slytherins.

"A vocal answer would be appreciated, boys."

The students chorused, "Yes, Sir."

Severus nodded and let go. The students stood up and tried to leave the office regally. They didn't quite manage.

The Potions Master leant in his chair and spent the next minutes reflecting on all that had happened in the last week.

_One thing is sure,_ he concluded, _when there's a Potter around, trouble is not far away. And now we have two. It is as if the saying 'may you live in interesting times' has been coined with them in mind. _His thoughts turned general. _I wonder if all the major historical events of the last centuries are, in one way or another, due to Potter-influence. Perhaps I'll commission a research. It could be a good thesis subject in History of Magic … But it still is a frightening perspective._

Severus shook his head to dispel this train of thought. _Enough of this. I'll warn Albus of Misters Perelli and Ungrave's 'research' at the staff meeting tomorrow. Time to go and see if my quarters are still standing._

He shuddered as he locked and warded his drawer. He left his office after making sure the door was correctly locked and walked the few steps separating him from his quarters. The sight that greeted him as he stepped in his living-room made him froze. The vein at his temple began to throb.

In front of his disbelieving eyes was the exact reason why Potters should be given a Slytherin guardian at birth.

His poor rug had been expanded enough to fit four Potters and was now hovering a few centimetres above the floor. The two Potters were intertwined in the middle of it.

With the grace of a dangerous predator that was one of his most prized characteristics, he stalked to the sleeping Potters. He was packing fire for one of his greatest rant ever when James sat up, rubbed his eyes and smiled at him.

What he did next scared Severus into immobility. Languid with the weight of sleep, James stepped over a deeply asleep Harry, his eyes never letting go of Severus's, whose breath hitched at such a display.

James smirked, making Severus rethink James's half asleep state. Putting his weight on his left hand, James fisted his right one into Severus's robes and tugged.

He smiled dreamily. "What are you doing standing there? Come to bed, Love."

He tugged harder and harder on a petrified Severus's robes until Severus toppled onto the floating rug. James swiftly rearranged a shocked Severus's limbs to his convenience. He then promptly plopped his head down on Severus's shoulder and kissed him under his jaw.

"Night, Love," he murmured and promptly fell back into Morpheus's arms. Severus could only blink and silently seethe. Was Potter Senior confusing him with Evans? That was not very flattering – there were quite a few differences, after all. Well, at least Potter didn't snog him this time.

And suddenly it was morning. Severus was the first to wake up. The first thing he noticed was that his hand was resting on a warm something. He experimentally squeezed and discovered that, James having trapped the Slytherin's arm with both of his, Severus's hand was getting acquainted with mini-James.

Which was not so mini anymore as it seemed that he was appreciating the handshake. Severus liked to think of himself as disgusted, but a certain part of his anatomy was now begging for an introduction. The part of his mind that seemed happy to roll in the gutter, a part he believed he had eradicated since his teenage years, mourned the fact that the few morals he had left wouldn't let him take advantage of this golden opportunity when the man's son was sleeping near them. Not to forget that, with his luck and increasing popularity, somebody would just waltz in un-announced should he try something.

He none-too-gently disentangled himself from Potter's surprisingly strong grip, waking James in the process. James rubbed his eyes. His whole face lightened up in a smile as his eyes fell on Severus's blurry silhouette standing tall near the hovering carpet.

James put his feet on the floor and stood up before stretching and yawning. Next, he walked to the looming Severus, put one hand on his shoulder for balance, stood on tiptoe to compensate for their difference in height and pecked him on the cheek.

"Morning, Love," he whispered before leaving a shell-shocked Severus to trot in the bathroom.

Severus heard water being splashed, the mumbled words of a shaving charm, as well as the mouth-cleaning one. James came back into the living room, his face damp. He put his glasses on and blushed as his gaze fell on a frowning Severus.

He left his hands in a surrendering gesture and began to talk quickly.

"I can explain. You see, Harry fell asleep after drinking your potion. I tried to carry him to bed, but I tripped and he nearly crashed to the floor. Besides, he loves that rug, so I just transfigured it a little. Dumbledore sent me my wand, which he had stored into his vault with Lily's to offer to Harry on his graduation. I'll put it back to normal, I swear, Gryffindor's honour!"

Severus crossed his arms on his chest. "Is that all you're going to explain?"

James tilted his head to the side. "Uh, yes?"

Severus stalked to him, smirking. "Well," he drawled, looking at James from head to toe, "are you really awake this time?"

James's eyes went round. A Gryffindor-red blush began to stain his cheeks. He took a few nervous steps back.

Severus glided to a stop in front of him, his eyes never letting go of James's. How he enjoyed making Gryffindors squirm…

"Tell me Potter, did I suddenly sprout breasts in my sleep? Was I turned into a redhead?"

James blinked and took a careful step back. "Well, no. But that can be arranged, if you're so inclined."

Severus's face darkened. Neither James nor the fuming Potions Master noticed that Harry, who had been awake for some time, had sat up to look at the byplay with amusement. Or that the door to Snape's quarters had opened a while ago to reveal a smirking Lucius, who seemed to enjoy the situation quite a bit.

James gulped and smiled wanly. "Maybe not."

Severus pressed his advantage. "Since we established that I, in no way, shape or form, resemble your dear wife, would you mind explaining what business do you have calling me 'Love'?" He sneered at the mention of a word reserved, for him, to the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff part of the wizarding population.

James took a careful step back. "Well, I may have called you 'Love' once, but I was still half-asleep, so I can't be held fully responsible, you know."

The Potions Master snorted. "Thrice, Potter. Twice yesterday evening and once this morning. And you took liberties with my person."

Severus was disappointed when James's reaction was not the one he had anticipated. Instead of flustering, blubbering or getting angry and denying Severus's accusations, James simply froze. His eyes rounded, as if he was remembering the events Severus was speaking of. And then his eyes turned to slits.

Severus frowned when James didn't move for what appeared an eternity but was only five minutes. Lucius and Harry exchanged a raised eyebrow. Nobody spoke.

And suddenly James bolted, surprising everybody with his swift departure after such a long immobility. He didn't slow down as he reached Lucius but, using the tall blonde's shoulders as holds, he vaulted over the obstacle. As soon as his feet touched the floor, he was running again.

Lucius, dumbstruck, turned to stare at his retreating back. He didn't react when Severus pushed him aside to run after James. Lucius came back to his senses when Harry slipped one of his ears under his hand for a scratch.

/ Well, I guess he really wanted his answer./

Lucius snorted elegantly and rubbed Harry's ear with his fingers. "Come on, let's get you to breakfast. I guess we'll see both of them soon enough."

Harry grinned and bounded ahead. /Food!/ He rejoiced and ran a few paces before rushing back to Lucius. /Come on, I'm hungry!/

Lucius sighed. "Teenagers," he commented before giving in to Harry's persistent tugging.

Meanwhile, Severus was cursing in his head in order to save his breath. He couldn't understand how James Potter, with his shorter legs, could still run quicker than him. Putting on a burst of speed, he reduced the distance between them just in time to notice James nearly wrenching the painting of the clearing he'd brought Harry to the day before off the wall.

Wondering if the painting would let him in, even if he had the password, Severus winced as James barrelled through the doorstep. The portrait closed with such strength that it rebounded, saving Severus the trouble of worrying about getting in.

Severus closed the portrait behind him and took a good look around. James was nowhere in sight. Severus strode to the bed and ripped the curtains open. Still no Gryffindor. Frowning, he bent to look under the bed. He only saw a book and some dusty old quills.

The wardrobe revealed only a few pairs of socks and underwear, three white shirts and two black pairs of trousers, as well as two Hogwarts robes. Severus noted with some amusement that, if both were outdated, one was Gryffindor and the other Slytherin.

Irritated, Severus stopped to ponder this new mystery. Potter should be in the room but wasn't, and Severus was sure James had no Invisibility Cloak with him.

The Potions Master sat on the surprisingly clean bed to mull this irritating mystery over and nearly jumped out of his skin when somebody suddenly spoke to him.

"If all you're going to do here is sulk, you might as well leave."

Severus jumped on his feet and looked wildly around, his heart beating fast. How could somebody sneak on him like that?

The unknown man sighed. "In the painting, brainless scarecrow!" he drawled.

Scowling, Severus strode fluidly to the painting occupying the whole wall in front of the bed. He was intent on giving the rude painting a piece of his mind, but stopped short as he scrutinized the painted man. A thirty-something man, with hair as dark as the middle of the night fanning around his shoulders and eyes as dark as Severus's own. He was shirtless and had his arms crossed on his chest. He was glaring at Severus. A tattoo of a snake, which had just slithered onto the man's left shoulder seemed to also glare at Severus.

Severus gathered his wits and started to explain why he was in the room. The man cut him. "The only Gryffindor in this room is the one that was tied to the bed before you stormed in. And is now waiting for me. Now, if you don't mind, the exit is this way."

Severus decided to pay the man back in the same rude coins he had used. Ignoring the man's snapping remark of "Don't bother to mind me, make yourself right at home!", he let his eyes roam through the rest of the painting. The interior depicted was rustic. In the middle of the room was a sturdy table nearly disappearing under leather covered grimoires and rolls of parchment. Quills and an inkwells were peaking from under some parchment apparently pushed to tidy a place where jars and vials had been put.

A smoking cauldron was at the foot of the table, in front of an open cabinet, revealing potion ingredients used in potions stocked in jars and bottles. A ward could be seen around it, its yellowish colour indicating that it was protecting the ingredients from excessive warmth.

The left side of the painting was occupied by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. In an alcove placed to the side, a chimney was lit. Different bundles of herbs were set around and above it to dry.

On its left side, a window was open to a warm sunny day. A wardrobe was occupying the wall next to it. An immense bed was occupying the left further corner. A fluffy pastel yellow eiderdown was hanging from the end of the bed, revealing the dark grey sheets the mattress was covered with. A multitude of pale grey pillows were littered on the bed. A hastily folded pale green sheet Severus recognized had been thrown on the eiderdown.

On the wall over the bed was a sword rack with two swords and a few daggers. A bow was lying on a coffer, a quiver full of arrows leaning on the coffer's side. Severus's eyes went back to the bed and its two occupants.

One of them was an equally bare-chested and dishevelled man that Severus recognized as the man who had answered James's knock. From the dark-haired man's remark, Severus identified him as Godric Gryffindor. _Disturbing,_ Severus thought, _who after all wants to know about portraits' sex lives?_

But it was the other one, the one that was nervously plucking at the sheets that made Severus pause. What was James Potter doing into a painting including who Severus identified as Salazar Slytherin, as the man was now swearing in Parseltongue, and Godric Gryffindor, when both of them seemed to be on more than speaking terms?

And more importantly, how did the walking trouble magnet manage to end in the painting?

Severus's last clear thought before his mind threatened to crash was a surprising _I should keep him chained to my bed to keep him out of trouble._

It was when Salazar remarked acidly that that was what he had been trying to do before James and Severus stormed in that Severus noticed he had spoken aloud.

Blinking to clear his mind, Severus chuckled as Salazar grabbed James by the arm and tugged him to the edge of the painting. He threw the miffed James into Severus's arms.

"There, now vacate the premises, or follow our example. If you do, close the curtains of the bed and use a silencing charm." He strode to the protesting Godric, silencing him with a kiss.

A blushing James tugged Severus out of the room.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French. And lame chapter title...

Beta : not for now, so there will be mistakes, be warned! I'm sorry for the long wait, but we were fighting against eviction. Guess who lost? But it's life...

Still here? On with the show!

Chapter 13 – Doing the right thing hurt.

It was organised chaos. It was everything Severus hated, and would have made him wince and lose his temper, if he was not comfortably sitting cross legs on his – thankfully returned undamaged to its rightful size and firmly planted on the floor – beloved rug. His eyes were closed in meditation. His occlumency and legilimency training had enabled him to master meditation quickly enough to enjoy it, and he was now deeply immersed in a meditative trance.

Though all he had been able to achieve until now was hairs on his arms. It had started by a priking sensation on both his fore arms, urging him to roll both his sleeves in time to witness the speedy growth of long dark silky hairs on both forearms. James had chuckled and grinned proudly at him, bouncing in place as if getting ready to rush to him and pet Severus' new fur or some such Gryffindorish notion.

It had garnered him some amused snorts and mumbled comments of 'Black, we should have known' from the rest of the Gryffindor peanut gallery. And made Severus grumbled about the fact that his quarters had become the new Gryffindor hangout. Well, ex-Gryffindors in most cases, Harry being the only one currently at school, but still… And as Severus had lost his concentration, the fur on his arms had receded by spots, earning him some taunts about molding, to which he snarked back something along the lines of 'take one to know one'.

Which lead him to now. Two of the accursed Gryffindor were sitting, or rather snuggling, on his couch, which had been pushed against the back wall to make place for the rug to be placed in the middle of his living room.

Come to think of it, was it really necessary to push all his furniture to the side like that? As he began to lose his grasp on his concentration, noises began to invade his returning consciousness, making him wonder if he perhaps could pretend meditating all through the day to get rid of the naturally impatient Gryffindors. He sighed inwardly, knowing it was useless trying to continue, and that trying to hold onto his slipping concentration would be like trying to cling onto sand. Useless and a waste of time that could be employed to something constructive, like booting Gryffindors out of his quarters.

He kept his eyes closed for a while, reflecting on how well James Potter had managed to dodge his numerous enquiries about his newly discovered ability to walk into paintings. Severus had learned on that occasion that if there was one thing more annoying than Gryffindors, it was Gryffindors with Slytherin tendencies, for it made their reactions unpredictable. Was it a one kind of event, or only possible with that painting, or could it happen with every painting? Even muggle ones? The implications were truly frightening, especially considering it was James Potter. Even more so if it was hereditary. Severus shook his head, firmly refusing to follow that train of thought.

He opened his eyes to what could only be a nightmare. The two Gryffindors snuggling on his couch were now nearly sitting atop of each other, cuddling. The wolf was sitting on his dog friend, reading one of Severus' books while the animagus was playing with his hair.

Draco Malfoy was in a corner of the room, surrounded by a heap of half transfigured books. He was listening with rapt attention to James Potter, and nodding as James proceeded to demonstrate on another one of Severus' book the theory he had just explained. Severus watched, powerless to stop the abuse done to his books, as James transfigured books after books into scarves. With just a slight variation in the wrist movement, James was able to change the material of the scarf, as well as the colour, and not to forget the ornaments. Soon, he was sitting amid numerous scarves, wool, silk scarves, and even one made of some strange elastic and shiny textile, which looked muggle. On his left were stripped wool scarves, some silk scarves with pompoms, other with some strange knitted tassels and even one with some animated knitted animals that even Molly Weasley would have been hard put to produce.

Severus rose to his feet in preparation to stop his waking nightmare. How, he wasn't sure, maybe by bashing James Bloody Potter on the head with his thickest dictionary until the blasted Gryffindor was knocked out… That was what was on his mind until his eyes fell on Harry.

Who was currently chasing his leather mouse all over the place, including furniture, both occupied and not. Severus frowned and looked around. He gaped as he finally saw his oldest acquaintance. A smirking Lucius was directing Harry's leather mouse with slight movements of his wrist.

"Et tu, Lucius, amicus mi?" He babbled before he could stop himself.

Before anybody could move, or comment, somebody knocked on the door. Severus sighed and frowned. It was typical, every time he tried to exact a deserved revenge on those blasted Gryffindors, there was an external intervention, proving that God, Merlin or who knew who was on their side. His frown lightened as he spied James trying to hide behind the lithe Draco, eliciting some raised eyebrows at this not so Gryffindor behaviour. He jumped slightly as the books returned to their original state when the transfiguration lost its hold on them as James lost his concentration. Severus was relieved to see that no harm had been done to his books.

He restrained the quivering left corner of his mouth to immobility as he stride to his door and opened it brusquely. Everybody breathed easier when Severus greeted the newcomer with his title of Headmaster.

Albus stepped inside, his eyes twinkling as he looked around at the organised chaos Severus' living room had become. "Well, that is a very familial setting, Severus." He commented before turning to Lucius, bringing the attention of all the present people in the room to the blond, so that nobody noticed James paling and biting his lower lip nervously.

"Ah, Lucius" the elderly wizard started, "there is an owl in the Great Hall who is apparently looking for you. It bore the Malfoy crest on a tie around its neck and won't let anybody approach it. It is quite ferocious in protecting the parchment it carries."

Lucius smirked and left after handing Harry his leather mouse. His hand twitched, but Lucius refrained his want to pet the catboy's ear before resolutely turning on his heel and leaving the room with a nod to salute everybody. His mouth was tight as he reflected on this unbecoming need of petting Harry's ear he seemed to feel every time the cat teen was near.

After the Slytherin's departure, Albus turned his twinkle on the two students. "It is such a beautiful day, and warm for the season too, why don't you boys join your comrades outside? I know your friends have been asking about you."

Draco pouted, as he doubted it, but, being the well educated youth that he was, he knew a dismissal when he heard it. He grabbed a reluctant Harry's arm and dragged him through the door.

Once they had cleared the door, the Headmaster warded it. Harry glued his ear against the door. He sighed after a few minutes of fruitless efforts and turned to Draco with a shrug. They then began the trek to come out of the dungeons.

Inside of the Head of Slytherin's living room, the Headmaster had joined the two separated Gryffindors on the couch. "James," he addressed the braided Potter, "I need to have a word with you. If Severus would be kind enough to lend us his room?" He enquired of the Potions Master, who agreed with a nod.

The aged wizard the got up and followed the elder Potter towards Severus' bedroom. He stopped and spoke to the three remaining men. "We'll be back in a few minutes, wait for us, will you?" He waited for their nods before disappearing after James.

Draco and Harry were walking in the dungeons' main corridor when suddenly Harry's ears pricked. He glanced at Draco who was walking at his side and, satisfied by what he saw, began to slightly lag behind. When the first Slytherins rounded the corner, Harry easily melted in the shadows, letting Draco be claimed by his house mates. Once he was sure that the group, surrounding Draco, had left and that he was alone, he stepped out of the shadows and jumped a little, excited about his new freedom. As he couldn't decide where he wanted to enjoy his freedom, he gave his paws the task of bringing him somewhere interesting.

He was nearing the stairs leading to the Great Hall when he saw a spider climbing two steps ahead of him. Giving into his instincts, he crouched, shoulders down and butt wriggling in the air in preparation of his jump. He pounced.

In his quarters, Severus quickly took advantage of the Gryffindors' presence by putting them to the task of putting his living room back to rights. He then let himself be dragged into a conversation about animagus.

They stopped when Albus stepped back into the room, followed by an uncharacteristically frowning James. Both sat near the three men before Albus spoke. "I've decided to re-introduce James into the Order, he'll come to the meetings under a disguise. I wanted to ask you, Severus, if you knew about a potion we could use to disguise his voice, as it is well known to many members of the Order."

After a few minutes of consideration, Severus shook his head. "No, there are no such potions. But maybe our resident pranksters know about a charm, jinx or spell?"

Sirius and James shook their head in denegation. Remus smirked "Maybe if he inhaled helium before speaking, he'll squeak enough not to be recognised. But he could be confused with a member of Filius' family."

James pouted and stomped his feet on the floor. He then laughed a little before turning serious again. "Albus, about what we discussed…"

Albus cut him. "I told you I'll think about it, James. Severus informed me that two of his students, whose families have ties to the Dark side, asked him for a permission slip to search the restricted section of the library for books on…. What was it exactly, Severus?"

"The symbolism and uses of blood in Magic. For history of magic essay, or so they say."

"So, Voldemort is delegating research on the deoghail to students?"

"It would seems so. Why is he so desesperate to find something about his deoghail to resort to ordering the children of his Death Eaters to help?"

"Speaking of that, what the bloody Hell is a deoghail?"

"Apparently a blood 'sucker', or 'stealer' as the Dark Lord sent some of his minions to ask a vampiric clan for information, if Potter the second's vision is to be believed."

"Speaking of which, Severus, Madam Pince gave me the title of the books they checked out, I verified with Madam Pomfrey if they were the books she counselled. I wanted to ask you, Remus and Severus, to peruse them for me. Madam Pince will send them to my office once the boys are done with them."

Remus and Severus agreed. Sirius and Remus then stood up to leave. However, James called them back before they could.

"Guys, we'll have to induct Harry into the Marauders. We'll need a surname for him."

Sirius rubbed his hands with glee. "We'll put a list together. What time frame do we give him?"

"Two weeks, like we had?"

Sirius and Remus agreed before flooing to their rooms, their eyes glinting mischievously.

Severus turned to James, who was lost in his thoughts. "Potter!" he called.

There was no reaction.

Severus tried again, louder.

James finally focussed on him, blinking repeatedly to dispel his daydream. "Yes, mo chridhe?"

Albus' head swivelled quickly to James, his face a mask of surprise. Severus scowled, he didn't like being unable to understand what people said around him, and especially if they were speaking about him or to him. And even more so if Albus could understand while he couldn't.

"James?" Albus called, snapping his fingers in front of James' face.

James blinked again and looked at both men in turn before focusing on Albus. "Yes? Why do you look so worried, Albus? I already promised I would wait for your say so before making a move."

"You called Severus 'mo chridhe', James."

"I didn't even speak to him, Albus!"

Albus decided to let it go, making a mental note to later check with Severus if James already had display such absences.

Severus impatiently cut in, going right to the subject who interested him the most. "What does this induction involve?"

James bit his lips, his eyes straying to Albus.

"You'd better tell him, James, before he starts chopping us both. I must admit that I am also curious."

James sighed. "Well, he has to complete four dares; one, he must successfully prank the other Marauders; two, he must discover an hidden passage or room in the castle; three, he must prank a teacher or student without getting caught; and lastly, he must promise to become an animagus. Then, by agreement with all the others, he'll be given a nickname and a place in the Marauders."

Severus growled. He already had an idea on who the chosen teacher would be.

"And from what everybody told me, Harry already managed to fulfil some of the clauses" James smiled, "He discovered Slytherin's chamber of secrets, and will soon be an animagus with our coaching as soon as his transformation is over." Even Severus could recognise the pride at his son's accomplishments shining out of James's eyes.

Albus twinkled brightly. He clapped his hands. "Well, if it's open to anyone, why not induct Severus as well? It would, at least, assuage Severus's fear of a prank war in his classroom, especially if a restriction is added, stating that the future inductees can not prank each other."

James turned to Severus, eyeing him consideringly for a few minutes before he shrugged. "Why not, as long as he promise to keep the pranks funny and not humiliating. I'll warn Remus and Sirius." He rushed to the chimney and grabbed a pinch of floo powder.

Once sure that he was sufficiently engrossed in his conversation and would not hear them, Severus rounded on the Headmaster. "Albus" he growled.

"No, it's a perfect idea!" the ever enthusiastic Headmaster cheered. "It should teach all of you to work together. Yes, a very good idea. I'll leave the two of you to discuss the specificities." He hummed all the way to the door, acting as if he couldn't hear Severus's spluttering objections. A sudden idea stroke him as he was taking the wards down. He turned to Severus and noticed that James had joined him.

"Besides, since young Malfoy already knows about James's presence, maybe you could add him. It may just be the thing to keep him out of the dark path his father and the Dark Lord intend him to walk on. I'll now leave you to discuss it."

James and Severus looked at each other, horrified. They knew there was no way out. The Headmaster always managed to get what he wanted, and he was not above using manipulation.

Severus's scream of "Damn you, Albus Dumbledore!" scared Harry's prey away. Pouting, Harry climbed the stairs. He was trying to decide what to do next with his new found freedom and Slytherin-free time when the dreamy tones of Luna Lovegood drifted to his ears.

"Very nice tail, Harry. Though you should be careful while primping. I heard the whirzgle loves nesting into nice furry tails like yours."

/Whirzgles?/

Luna nodded, acting as if she could understand Harry. "Green button like critters, they feed on hair. You wouldn't want to end up with a bald tail, now would you, Harry? You'll have to dip your tail in some sea water where you'll have added a pinch of maple syrup to get rid of them, Harry, if you caught some. To avoid them, you'll have to lather your tail with mint toothpaste before going to bed."

Horrified, Harry cradled his tail protectively against his chest and goggled at Luna.

Luna turned to Harry's left. "Am I wrong mister Malfoy?"

Harry jumped a little as Lucius's amused voice answered the young Ravenclaw seriously. "Well, miss Lovegood, I can assure you we will take the utmost care of mister Potter's tail to avoid him suffering from such a dire predicament. Now, if you don't mind, I'll act as mister Potter's Slytherin escort, as he seemed to be lacking one. So, mister Potter, where to?"

/Whirzgles!/ Harry squeacked.

Lucius's chuckle glided along Harry's back like a caress by sun warmed silk on his naked skin. He unknowingly stepped closer to Lucius and started to purr.

Lucius and Harry, entrapped into each other's eyes were blind to Luna twirling away. Their gazing was interrupted by Draco clearing his throat near Harry's elbow.

"There you are, Potter. It was not very nice to slip away like you did. Anyway, professor Snape wants to see us both in his quarters."

Lucius, ignoring his son's quirked eyebrow, took one of Harry's paw in his hand and caressed his fur before bringing it up to tickle his cheek with Harry's fur. "Well, since you're in good hands, I'll be able to go to the ministry with a lighter heart. Until I see you next, young Potter." He bowed to a confused Harry.

He frowned as he walked away. It was good that the Potter brat seemed to be receptive to his charm, it could make things easier later, but why was he himself similarly affected?

Meanwhile, to cover his embarrassment, Harry began to grill Draco on the reasons of this sudden convocation, all the while lecturing himself in his head. What was he thinking, getting near a known Death Eater? Was he thinking at all? He now had the proof that his hormones were bad counsellors. Draco let him speak without interruption, as he didn't know the answers himself.

"Potter!" Draco bopped him behind the head to get his attention.

/Miah!/ Harry protested.

"The door is open, in case you care." Draco informed him.

/So, why don't you get in?/

"Because it's dark…"

/You're afraid of the dark, Malfoy?/

"No, but I find it suspicious. Severus calls us here and he is not there when we arrive?"

Harry extended his neck and took a careful whiff of air. /No, nothing special, though I can't tell exactly who is inside. But I've got a strange feeling in my whiskers… How to explain? I feel like a sort of pressure, telling me that the room is not deserted, and that the person or persons inside are friendly…/

Severus suddenly appeared on the threshold of the door and impatiently waved them in. He closed the door behind them. The darkness was so deep and unnatural that even Harry, with his enhanced senses, couldn't pierce it.

Severus and the boys stayed put, not wanting to break something by tripping in the dark.

Suddenly, light began to pool and swirl, like mist, around the feet of three silhouettes standing in the middle of Severus's bare living room. All three men, as they were men, had the hoods of their robes on. All three had a different insignia on their breast pocket. The one on the left, near the chimney, was the tallest and had a dog print adorning his breast. The middle one was the shortest, his robe decorated with a glowing sphere. The last one, whose robes bore antlers, was the first to speak.

"Welcome to the Trial. Do you know why you were asked to come?"

Severus rolled his eyes, muttering something about spectacles and exhibitionists. Harry, having identified the three men, smiled brightly and Draco, looking at them in turn for guidance on how to act, felt his confusion growing.

The middle man stepped forward and spoke. "The Marauders are extending an invitation to you three to join. What says you, will you agree to submit to the Trial?"

Severus sighed. "Oh, for the love of Morgana! Get on with it! Some of us have work to do!"

The third man spoke, a little chidingly. "What say you?"

Draco's breath hitched in awe. He couldn't believe he was invited to join the infamous Marauders. The ones that, even if they were anonymous, the Slytherin House as a whole wouldn't mind to claim.

"There are conditions to fulfil if you agree." The first one warned. "So, will you join the Marauders and the Weasley twins into the Great Prankster Order? Will you make it your mission to bring people joy and laughter in bleak times?"

Harry nodded so vigorously Draco wondered how he didn't give himself whiplash. /Yes!/ he cheered.

"What are the conditions?" Draco, always prudent, wanted to know.

The tallest man began to explain. "You will have to successfully prank each one of us."

The one with antlers on his robes went on. "You will prank a teacher or student without getting caught."

"You will keep the pranks funny, no humiliation, no hurting people." The smallest judge cautioned.

They went on explaining like that, splitting the explanation between the two tallest, the third one intervening to give precisions or warnings.

"You will show us a hidden room or passage way you discovered."

"You will swear to become an animagus."

"But you must swear not to reveal anything about your fellow Marauders, unless they all agree, or during the Trial of the new generation. Should you agree, you'll have two weeks to comply with the conditions."

"Should you manage to pass our test, you will be given a temporary nickname to preserve your anonymity, until your animagus form is known, and then, you will be given one in agreement with your animagus form, by vote of all the Marauders. You will, of course, have a right of veto. And before you leave Hogwarts, it will be your responsibility to select, train and indict a new generation of Marauders."

"You will not be authorised to prank your fellow inductees. Do you agree?"

/Yes! I swear!/

Draco looked at his godfather for guidance. The offer was very tempting, but if Severus refused, then so would he.

But Severus agreed and swore, if a little bit sourly, so Draco followed his lead.

The three men clapped once, and whipped their wands, dispelling the darkness and restauring the light in the room. They then took their hoods down, revealing James Potter, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.

Remus went to join Harry, Severus and Draco. James stepped in the middle of the room as Sirius lounged against the chimney. James then transformed into a stag. He transformed back and announced "I am Prongs."

He exchanged place with Sirius who transformed into a black grim like dog. Draco gasped, recognising him. The dog winked in his direction and retransformed. "I am Padfoot" he introduced himself.

"And I am Moony." Remus ended the round of introduction.

Everybody blinked when Remus's face morphed into a sheep's and he began bleating. He suddenly pawed at his pants and, opening them he got them down some to free a twitching tail.

Sirius magicked a board. On it was a chart, with their three names. In the columns were written : pranking Prongs, pranking Padfoot, pranking Moony, pranking a student/teacher, passageway/room, animagus.

Harry's two last columns were checked. As was Severus's last one. And, surprisingly, Draco's third one.

Sirius smirked and explained. "This board is magical, it will update itself automatically."

"Does the room or passageway has to be unknown, or can it be something we found because we heard rumours about it, or something somebody told us about?"

"What do you have in mind, Malfoy?"

"I found the room of requirement, but my father told me it existed. I also found the Slytherin's secret potions lab, but only because my father explained how to me."

A restaured Remus walked to the door. "So, show me mister Malfoy." They left together in the sleeping school. A few moments later, Draco's room column checked itself.

Severus walked to his door. "Potter, put a glamour on and follow me."

James hastened to follow before Harry could move one paw. Severus intentionally took the direction of James's secret room. He even made them walk in front of the painting of the clearing, scrutinising James's face carefully in the improbable case he betrayed himself. In vain.

Severus then opened a secret passage and guided James into a cavern full of an extravaganza of stalactites and stalagmites. The cavern led to the pier where the first years docked as they arrived in Hogwarts.

James turned on himself to embrace the entirety of the room. Severus turned to leave and returned to his quarters when he found himself suddenly hugged tightly by an enthusiastic James.

"It's wonderful!" James exclaimed before morphing into Prongs and promptly going to lick a stalactite.

Severus smirked, now was the right time to get as many targets as he could with one spell. And better yet, it was the all the more funnier as he had devised that spell especially for the Marauders. And to finally be able to use it on its intended targets…

Soon, a green stag with silver antlers had to gallop to catch with a striding Potions Master. They entered Severus's quarters to fins themselves in a fighting zone. Sirius and Draco were exchanging pranking hexes, jinxes and charms. Remus and Harry were seated on the couch, enjoying the show and munching on sandwiches.

James retransformed, his green skin and silver hairs staying on. He never noticed the cessation of hostility nor the goggling that followed.

He went to thump Sirius on the back, congratulating him on managing to hold his own against a teenager for as long as he had. He didn't notice Sirius's quickly greening skin or his hair turning silver. He tripped on his way to the couch and the platter of sandwiches, losing his glasses on impact with the floor.

Remus and Harry rushed to help him to get up, ending in the same predicament James and Sirius were in. When James put his glasses back on, he took a good look at his companions and laughed.

"James….you did it on purpose." Remus chastised him.

"Well, there was salt!" James defended himself.

"So," Remus summed it up for the ones who weren't familiar with 'James-speak', "You transformed and were too busy licking some salt to notice Severus pranking you, and you decided to share the fun."

"There are no rules stating that I can't, and besides, how could I know the jinx would transfer like that on contact?"

/He's a Slytherin!/

"I've never seen a jinx do that."

"Neither have I"

"Nor me."

Harry was looking starry eyed at the one who was becoming not only tolerable, but also something of a favourite. /Can you teach me how to do that?/

Severus smirked, basking in the praise and visible admiration of his student. "It was supposed to be used on the day we left Hogwarts, so that your parents would see you all decked in Slytherin colours… I designed it myself. But it's too bad we didn't encounter the Headmaster, I would have completed all the clauses in one go…" He sighed, it had been so good letting go for once. "But enough for this evening, it's time to go to sleep. All of you will be back to their natural colours tomorrow by midday."

Draco ran out of his godfather's quarters before one of the Gryffindors had the luminous idea of transferring the jinx to him.

The next morning, Severus woke up to find a still greenish James Potter sat at his table and rolling marbles under his hand.

James lift his head as he heard Severus's approach and asked him "Snape, do you think it would be possible to somehow create a concentrated dose of potions which would have the same efficiency as a normal one? One concentrated enough to fit in a marble this size?"

Severus frowned and walked to James to pick the marble sitting in his upturned palm. He was examining it when Dumbledore flooed in.

"Ah, Severus, mind if I borrow James for a while? We have to speak. There was an attack on the Alexandrian library in the night, a whole stack of books on vampires and other magical beings and creatures disappeared. There was no dark mark, but… James, if you'd please?"

James nodded and followed Albus in the floo to his office.

With nothing better to do with his time, Severus put James's marble in his pocket as he was somehow reluctant to part with it and started his breakfast. Looking into his cup of tea, he let himself fall into a light trance. He soon found himself staring into lazily blinking round black eyes set into a furry face. So, that was his inner animal?

This must be some kind of joke, either that or the fates hated him. Anyways, he'll have to make some research, but it appeared to at least seem useful.

He came back to his surroundings to see an emerald green, silver furred Harry-cat entering the room. Even though green and silver were Slytherin colours, he seemed to wear them with pride, he even had brightened the colours up, as they didn't fade like they were supposed to do. He even went as far as changing the colour of his ribbon to black, matching a chocker decorated with an emerald green stone sat around his neck. Instead of coming to the table to eat his breakfast, he went to sit on the rug in front of the chimney, staring intently at the fire. It suddenly changed to green, and a scowling Remus stepped through.

He turned to the smirking Harry and frowned, opening his mouth to speak. Instead, he sang. "You think you're smart, you're not, it's plain to see…"

He then clapped his hand on his forehead and slipped it along his face. He turned to Severus and sang "We used to be friends, a long time ago…" before abruptly cutting himself and growling.

He went to the chimney, grabbed a pinch of floo powder. "Mais oui, mais oui, l'école est finie…"

Harry, in between gales of laughter, extended his paw towards Remus, who was glaring at him and hiccupped /Fi…finite Incantatum…/ before laughing again and rolling on the rug.

Severus and Remus looked at Harry's line, and, sure enough, Harry had pranked both Remus and Sirius with a delayed singing charm.

Remus rolled his eyes and turned to address Harry, who was panting slightly. "Don't do that again, Harry. Ever again. Sirius has absolutely no singing voice. I'd better go back to him before he decided to come here on his own."

A few minutes after his departure, the chimney spat James Potter, who tripped over Harry and fell at Severus's feet.

"Well, Potter, now I know where your son got his flooing grace. But really, there's no need to throw yourself at my feet like that." He smirked at James and extended a hand to help him up. James accepted.

The hauling up made James's shirt collar ride low on the left side, and, as he was not wearing a robe, it exposed his throat. Severus's smirk froze on his face as his eyes landed on a small round scar he had already seen. On the base of his teenage self's mysterious lover. The one he saw in the mirror's vision.

With a threatening growl, Severus tugged James to his room for an explanation, leaving a surprised Harry behind.

Severus slammed the door shut and applied the most powerful ward he knew, as well as a silencing charm. He then released James and whirled to confront him.

"Among the visions your blasted mirror showed me, there was one of the two of us, unclothed and in a room I've never seen before. We were engaged in some….lewd acts. Explain."

James fidgeted.

"Now Potter."

James took a deep breath and inched discretely towards the exit. "After the Whomping Willow incident, you owed me a life debt, right?" He gulped. "I came to you to ask for a sort of reimbursement. I propose an arrangement. A satisfactory arrangement, for both of us…" he trailed. "I knew for a fact that you wouldn't speak and you were passionate enough to make it interesting." Severus was so shocked he couldn't find his voice for a while.

"You exchanged sex against a life debt?"

James nodded. "I was frustrated…"

Severus cut him sharply. "You were dating Evans and having sex with me at the same time?"

"Yes?"

"And you obliviated me, of course."

James nodded.

"Get out." Severus hissed. He threw the door open and pushed James out. Grabbing him by the wrist, he tugged him towards the door of his quarters.

Opening it with one hand, he threw James out in the corridor. He turned on a bewildered Harry and pointed at the door. "I'm done with you Potters. I don't care what Albus says. Both of you stay out of my quarters." The door closed on Harry's heels and hummed to life with wards upon wards.

/What happened?/

James slid to the floor and hugged his legs to his chest. Harry heard him cry softly. He knelt near his father and rubbed his back. James rubbed his eyes against his knees before lifting his head to look mournfully at his son. His eyes were red and brimming with unshed tears.

"You remember what I told you in the secret room?" Harry nodded. A tear trailed along James's cheek. "I hurt him again. Albus agreed to my plan, and I hurt him again!" Harry sighed and cuddled against his father, purring in an attempt to comfort his father.

A few seconds later, Draco made his presence known. He arched an eyebrow at the sight of the two cuddling Potters in a dark and damp corridor in the dungeons.

/Not now, Malfoy./

Surprised by the levity of Harry's tone, Draco sat with a grimace in front of them. "What happened?"

/Snape threw us out of his quarters./

"Why? You seemed to be in as good as possible terms between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin."

James shook his head, refusing to answer. Harry followed his lead.

Draco sighed. "Well, I suppose that given the circumstances, I can't expect to be exempted of pranking you."

"Relax" he showed the mutinous James his empty hands in a conciliatory gesture. "It was worth a try. Well, I guess we will have to welcome Harry back in the Slytherin dorms, though he'll have to promise not to use his cat doors."

James perked up a little. "Cat doors?"

Draco nodded. "In every door of the dorms. Including the girls' and professor Snape's."

James turned to Harry. "Promise Harry, unless it's an emergency. You hear me?"

Harry agreed reluctantly. /I promise. Unless it's an mergency./

James then turned to hug him and kissed him on the forehead. He got up. "Well, I've got to hide until lunch. I'll floo away from the Headmaster's office when everybody'll be at lunch. Dobby!"

The little elf appeared in a 'pop'. "Yes, father of HarryPotter?"

James smiled wanly. "Can you gather Harry's clothes and knickknacks in his trunk and bring it to Malfoy junior's room, after you brought another bed?" He turned to Draco. "He kicks in his sleep." He mock explained to Draco. He began to leave but came back quickly. "Can I borrow some ink, parchment and a quill?"

Draco fished the desired items from his bag and handed them to James, who left in the direction of his secret room.

"Well, Potter, let's get you settled."

At lunch, Harry received a letter from his father, describing with humour his first encounter with Sirius's mother portrait and his installation in Regulus Black's former room. He gave both him and Draco a reprieve in pranking the three of them since they would be out of Hogwarts. He ended by giving a list of titles they could use in their animagus studies.

Ron Weasley surprised everybody by suddenly transforming into an otter. And promptly turning into an orange otter. Draco and Harry shared a smirk and discreetly toasted each other. Severus Snape didn't appear.

And so the days went, Severus locking himself in his quarters when he was not teaching and making potions after potions. The hospital wing had never been so well stocked. He only appeared in the Great Hall for the dinner but stayed only enough time to eat enough to satisfy the Headmaster and Mediwitch, his own personal mother-hens. His eyes always swept over Harry as if he wasn't here. Even during potions classes, where Harry could have pranced naked, and he still would have acted as if he hadn't noticed.

And then, one evening, Severus had an unexpected visitor. He was sulking in front of the chimney with a glass of brandy, admiring the refraction of the fire light on the crystal stag he even now couldn't consider breaking or vanishing.

A question he could imagine his representation of his older self ask began to dawn on him. James Potter was a stag animagus. So, with a small leap of logic, Severus could conclude that James Potter was the one who gave him the statuette. But why bother giving it to him at all? Especially with those engraved runes, and the symbolism of the plants used. It was as if he cared, and Severus knew that notion was preposterous at best. Not about him.

He was so deep in his reflections he didn't notice the blond man staring at him from the painting of a clearing the Headmaster had forced him to put on his wall in an effort to diminish James's cabin fever.

He jumped when the painted representation of Godric Gryffindor addressed him. "You're a real enigma to me. You're the first Slytherin I know who refused free sex."

Severus recovered after a few minutes. "Sex is never free."

"True. But the price might not be as high as you seem to believe. Perhaps we should speak some time, since you already know the password. Oh, and do remember that the best read are always kept under the bed." Godric left a bewildered Severus with those mysterious parting words.

"All Gryffindors are insane." Severus concluded. With a wince, Severus had to agree with the Hogwarts founder. If James Bloody Potter offered himself, why did he refuse so vehemently? Especially considering his body's traitorous answers when James was near. And the fact that morality was not his strong suit. And why was he more distressed by the fact that they had sex while James Potter was dating Lily Perfect Evans than by the fact that they had sex at all? Was he jalous of James going out with Lily or of Lily going out with James? And why had he been the only one who had been obliviated? It wasn't as if it was so abysmal if Potter kept his memories as his behaviour and words during his explanation as well as the vision he had implied. And now would be a great time to stop thinking about the annoying Gryffindor and start working on his animagus form.

Said animagus form had decided that Severus was not having enough problems and had begun to parade itself into his nights. Some of its instincts even beginning to seep into his everyday life. Like this time, when he began to think that the horned toads he was about to add to the solution slowly simmering in his cauldron looked scrumptious, or when he wondered what spiders would taste or feel like going down…

And not forgetting his shocked surprise at the apparition of a bushy tail one morning. At least he was not teaching at the time, as it would have been difficult to explain. It was such a hassle to hide it, but Severus didn't want anybody to see it. He sighed, remembering his disgust when he first saw it. He had trouble admitting the fact that a part of his body reminded him of that annoying know-it-all Gryffindor.

And one evening, finally, Severus managed to do it. He felt a childish amazement sweeping through his body when he was able to get a good look at his new body using the mirror on his bedroom wall. He practiced transforming back and forth several time, until he was sure he would be able to do it in a few seconds' span of time.

A week after, he received a visit from the Headmaster, concerned about his newly acquired hermit habit. With a little probing, Severus consented to reappear to both lunch and dinner. The second reason for Albus's presence in the dungeons was not accepted nearly as well. Why should he house Dumbledore's phoenix anyway? Wouldn't the Transfigurations teacher be more suitable? But all his objections, and they were many, were for naught and Fawkes was now ensconced in Severus's quarters. What was this rubbish about a visitor of Dumbledore's being allergic to phoenix feathers? And not giving a precise date for his or her visit, how rude. Unless the phoenix had been sent to his quarters as some kind of spying device?

Fawkes met Severus's darkest glare with equanimity and, using one of his talons, scooped a handful of seeds from his feeding trough and took flight to hover over a table. He then let the talonful of seeds trickle to the table and landed, before pushing the seeds towards Severus with his beak. He turned his head to look at the fuming Potions Master with one eye and then the other. He then trilled and flew back to his perch, hiding his head under his wing and falling asleep.

Strangely, Severus's ire disappeared. Without thinking, he transformed once more into his animagus form and took a few sniffs of the air, his small round ears twitching at every sound before it was recognised. He carefully let his stout legs carry him to the table on which he climbed before proceeding to gobble the seeds down to the last one.

His snack over, he was licking his chops when he realised he had let his animal side take over. Embarrassed, he jumped to the floor and fled into his bedroom where he transformed back just as he was about to burrow under the covers.

His morning was no better as Neville managed to blow three cauldrons in one setting, none of them his own, making the Potions professor wonder if he was after his life. He nearly didn't go to lunch and had to be reminded it was time to go by his godson, followed by the kitten menace. Add to that the informal meeting of the Order the Headmaster informed him of, and that was to be held the same evening at Grimmauld place.

Severus decided to test his newly discovered animagus form to spy on the Marauders. He was cautiously rounding a corner when he stopped suddenly, hearing muffled sobs. His heart clenched as the smell of salt assaulted his sensitive nose. He trembled in place when he heard James whispering "I don't think I like doing the right thing, Sirius."

There was a rustling noise as Sirius probably embraced James. "Why?"

"Because it hurt too much."

Severus retreated, shifted back to human and noisily announced his arrival. When he stomped into the parlor the two Marauders were in, he found them sat at a table, their faces blank. He couldn't avoid noticing that James seemed paler and more tired than usual.

After a few tense minutes of deafening silence, Remus Lupin wandered in from the library, two books under his arm. He put the books on the table in front of his chair.

TheHeadmaster flooed in just in time to take Severus's thoughts off of James. He sat and opened the meeting.

"Tonight, it will be only us, since we are the only ones knowing about James. Remus, did you find something of interest in the books?"

"Nothing. Not even in madam Pomfrey's books, or the ones in the Black library. The signification of 'deoghail' still eludes us."

James lowered his head to hide a wince.

"Severus?"

"I know of two Death Eaters scouring both Diagon and Knockturn Alleys's libraries with no results, which angered the Dark Lord quite a bit."

James's shoulders slumped.

Severus glanced at him. "But perhaps Potter would like to add something?" he smoothly commented, bringing everybody's attention to the frowning James.

"Well," James started, "I can't tell you much, as it is not my secret to tell, but" James stopped to lick his lips, staring right into a nearly squirming Severus's eyes, making his heart beat quicker, "you might want to tell your Dark Lord that he killed the last one before he could transmit his knowledge to his son." He smirked sombrely. "But only if he asks you. We wouldn't want him to be suspicious on how you came about that information, now, would we? Should he asks, and wants to know, you tell him that you were told by a painting of an unknown wizard at Hogwarts. Promise?"

James was now somehow holding his hands in his own and squeezing them. "Promise?" he repeated.

Severus blinked and nodded. "I promise." He answered, earning himself a blinding smile.

James then swiftly stood up and murmured in his ear "Thank you." before bounding out of the parlor. All three others wizards were so surprised by Severus's reaction to James's actions that they didn't think to wonder how James knew so much about deoghails.

When they finally stirred out of their daze, they started to call for him to come back. He didn't answer any of their calls, and managed to hide so well that he wasn't seen for four whole days.

Now that his father had joined Remus and Sirius at Grimmauld place, and while it was working wonders for Sirius, it did nothing to alleviate Harry's boredom.

He was presently curled on his youngest Slytherin's bed, sighing mournfully while staring at the bed curtains. Draco was trying to complete his Transfigurations essay. After Harry's twentieth sigh, he snapped. "Potter! If you can't do your homework, go and play with the first years!"

Harry sat straight on the bed and stared at Draco fixedly without blinking. Draco frowned and barked "What?"

/Why do you hate muggleborns so much?/

Draco, surprised by his unexpected subject, actually spluttered. "Potter, Muggleborns are actually low lives that don't deserve the magic they received at birth. Their parents probably coerced a wizard or witch into stealing magic from somebody, turning them into squibs!"

/That's absolutely hipogryf shit./

"What?" Draco was incensed.

Harry sneered. /To be able to do that, muggles would have to know about the wizarding world. And be able to enter it. Not to forget that wizarding people can't steal magic from one another. Turning themselves into squibs, yes. But taking the magic thus liberated into themselves or pouring it into somebody else? No. So, how would a muggle manage something even a wizard can't do? That would make them superior to wizards if I follow your line of thinking./

Draco gaped. "Potter, muggles are uneducated and uncivilised fools who need guidance…"

Draco was stopped by Harry's soft and derisive sigh. /Malfoy, the problem with you purebloods, is that you think everybody is beneath you. And even faced with the truth, you refuse to see what is in front of you. It is not muggleborns that are weakening our magic, but muggle blood. The Gaunts, the Dark Lord's maternal family were nearly squibs. His father was a muggle. Your beloved Dark Lord is a half-blood, just like me. And more powerful than a lot of pureblood wizards, just like me. There is such a thing as too much pureblood, where the desired thing can be toxic if in too great quantity. Besides, in some ways, I think muggles are superior to wizards./ He quickly held up a paw in the air to stop any retort Draco may have made, had he been in a state to do so. /Your problem, and most of the wizarding world's, is that you rely on your magic for everything. And when you can't use it, you're lost. Besides that, since the two worlds have separated, ours stayed stagnant, and you think that the poor muggles wilted without magical guidance.

Guess what? They didn't. Quite the contrary, they didn't stay stucked in the Victorian era, they evolved so much that their world is now incomprehensible. They have weapons able to kill you from a distance, and even the shielding charm won't protect you. They currently use electricity, a source of energy which power most of their appliances. They have means of mass transportation that are quicker, safer and cleaner than floo, and everybody can use it without needing to pass an exam, even children can and do use it.

They created a world wide mean of instantaneous communication, which allow one on one conversations as well as conferences. It can also be used as a mean of education and entertainment./ He sighed. / I'm not saying that all and every traditions of the wizarding world should be abandoned in favour of muggle ones. Or mixing the two worlds. That would quickly lead to a world wide war. And what a great symbol of unity that would be! Especially considering the muggles have a weapon to which they could say 'you go there and kill everybody' from the safety of their homes/ Harry explain, trying to find some analogy Draco could follow, /And even some which would destroy whole cities as well as poison the soil, water or people living near the explosion for centuries! And we would have no way of finding they sent them or stopping them. So yes, our world must stay separate from the muggle one. But we must not underestimate the muggles. If we discriminate against the muggleborns, we might force some of them out of our world, and then, they could manage to get their hands on some of those weapons. And then, what a wake up call it would be! And it would be our fault!/ He scrunched his nose and stayed silent for a while, lost in the apocalyptic vision of a bitter muggleborn going back to the muggle world to unleash a nuclear bomb on Diagon Alley.

/Not all their things are bad though, we could even learn from them. Some of their things could be borrowed with great benefits. Like fountain pens, instead of quills and inkwells. They are hollow pens, using a little container of ink caped with a ball, to use it, you prick the little ball on a barb of plastic. And tadaa! You've got a writing implement that doesn't need to be sharpened, and that won't break in your bag. No more inkwell breaking in your bag and dripping all over your books and homework. And some of them even use erasable ink, on which you can rewrite with a different pen. No more rewriting a whole roll of parchment for a single mistake. And they have those filing files to order their notes, so no more going through numerous rolls of parchment to find the right one!

Hem, well, I'm kind of getting carried away. Back to our subject. How would you feel if you were suddenly uprooted from everything you have ever known and left to swim or sink on your own in a world completely different from your own? I bet you wouldn't last a week before having to rely on something familiar./ Seeing Draco's gobsmacked expression and ridiculous look, Harry jumped from the bed and ran to the door. /Well, I'll just let you think on it while I go and find myself some first years to entertain myself…/ Snickering, Harry bounded out of the dorm-room.

In his room, Severus was, once again, contemplating the stag statuette while drinking some of his favourite tea to settle his nerves.

He jumped as he heard somebody calling him. Looking wildly around for trespassers and finding nothing, he frowned at the clucking phoenix.

A chuckle allowed him to locate his interloper. He kneeled in front of the head of Rabastan Lestrange floating in his fire. He never noticed that his left hand was still clutching the crystal stag.

"What?" he snapped when all Rabastan did was goggle at him. "Lestrange! Could you please, if that is in the realm of your abilities, focus?"

Rabastan fought a blush. "You got a Dagon." he blurted before he could censor his mouth.

Severus raised an inquiring eyebrow.

Rabastan explained. "Dagon is the title of the head of a line of glass workers. They did special vials, statuettes such as your stag, pane of stained and/or painted glass. Like the portrait of lady Wingrove in the Wingrove chapel. The Dark Lord wanted to find him or her to made use of his or her talent in vial making. And perhaps a portrait. Nobody knew who it really was, and pieces of this artist stopped appearing in the early eighties, late seventies. They're very rare and very valuable now."

Severus paled and stared at his statuette. Dagon was too near a name to de Dagonville for his peace of mind. He shook his head to clear it of all unwanted questions, firmly pushing them to the back of his mind. "What do you want?"

"Just some news. Your mirror didn't gave you any new visions? There are some theories I want to test, can we consent on a date? When it will be convenient to you, of course…"

Severus tensed as the sound of flapping wings was heard. He refrained from growling when a curious Fawkes perched on his shoulder, extending his neck to look at Rabastan Lestrange's head. He opened his beak, letting the goblet of seeds he was clutching fall into Severus's lap. He then cocked his head to look at Severus, who barely refrained from chasing the bird around with his sharpest knife.

Rabastan chuckled. "So, you're doing phoenix sitting for the Headmaster, Severus?"

Severus sighed deeply and massaged his temples. "Yes. And the blasted bird take every occasion it can to try and feed me its grains… Anyway, I'll go back to you on the subject as soon as I can."

Rabastan nodded and ended the call.

Severus put the stag on the floor and collected the seeds which had fallen on his legs and around them. He put them back in their goblet and settled it on the floor near the stag before taking both in his hands and gracefully standing.

Putting both objects on his coffee table, he settled back in his armchair to brood, never noticing when Fawkes perched on the back of his armchair and nuzzled his hair. All he had on his mind was the salt he could taste on his lips when he thought of the statuette.

* * *

Remus' songs:

"You think you're smart, you're not, it's plain to see" is from 'Not meant for me' Queen of the damned.

"We used to be friends, a long time ago" is from 'We used to be friends', Andy Warhols.

"Mais oui, mais oui, l'école est finie" is a song from Sheila, meaning 'yes, yes, school is over' appropriate, no?

And yes, music and me are not friends, so feel free to make suggestions.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French. And lame chapter title...

Beta : not for now, so there will be mistakes, be warned! I'm sorry for the long wait, I was getting organised in our new flat, and then just being lazy…

Would someone be kind enough to draw me a Harry-cat to cheer me up?

Just a filler chapter, really.

Still here? On with the show!

Chapter 14 – Did it have to be them Harry?

Harry "Cat" Potter was in Cat Heaven. He, as Draco had ordered him to, had found himself some first years to entertain himself. And entertain was he!

He was currently lounging on a big and comfy eiderdown with a warming charm, under a cashmere comforter, a present from his godfather. He particularly delighted in pouncing on the embroidered snitch, which was zooming around the comforter. In front of his eiderdown was a shiny black with silver engraving bottomless bowl, which had been directly linked to the cream reserves of the kitchen.

His faithful leather mouse was secured into his shirt breast pocket, its little round nose poking Harry's chest in a reassuring way.

And, even better, up until late the evening before, he had had a plethora of the best of toys: humans kids, ready to play with him should he show even the slightest inclination to have a game.

And last but not least, the scratching!!!! It nearly motivated him enough to rush like a good Gryffindor and try to vanquish Voldemort if that was the reward he would get.

It should be easy enough, especially if he kept in mind this image of Voldemort as a defenceless baby bird that he had suddenly thought about while he had been primping before going to bed.

The Dark Lord was, after all, ugly enough to be cast into the role of the biggest, meanest and ugliest baby bird that escaped Hell with his bald head and sickly thin body.

The more Harry thought about it, the more it seemed to fit in his mind. He even tried to send a mental image of this ridiculous representation to Voldemort using their shared link, adding a derelict straw nest and a 'mummy' Nagini forcing a wriggling and hysterically giggling Wormtail into Voldemort's wide open mouth for effect. Nobody get to laugh at Harry 'Cat' Potter without repercussions, nobody.

He had winced in prevision of the wave of pain he knew would be arriving any time now indicating the Dark Lord's anger, to find himself disappointed when he didn't even felt a twinge in his scar. He pouted a little, it wasn't fair! Why was Voldemort the only one able to use their link to his advantage? Well, Harry promised himself he would explore the link, or perhaps ask his Severus to help him… But he will do something; he was not a cat for nothing, after all. And with his Slytherins' help, he should be able to do it securely enough.

* * *

While Harry was enjoying his day so far, Draco was not. At all. Early in the morning, his 'adorable' godfather, Severus Snape, had appeared suddenly without warning into his room, interrupting his well-earned beauty sleep with a bang and lot of cold water.

He then had proceeded to drag Draco out of his usually warm and comfortable but now slightly damp bed, and had nearly flung him into the small bathroom attached to his bedroom, ordering him to get ready or be prepared to be dragged through the castle in the state he was in, that is to say in his underwear and with his hair doing a good imitation of Potter's.

'Strange' Draco reflected idly as he was combing his hair, 'that since Potter transformed, his hair look much more manageable' He rushed to finish as he could hear his godfather grumbling through the door. He didn't want to have to repair another door.

While he was traipsing after his striding godfather, Draco tried to get enough breath to both continue at the great speed they were going at and ask questions to satisfy his curiosity. Of course, seeing his godfather's sour frown, and not to forget the thunderous black cloud Draco fancied he could see hovering over his Potions professor's head, it couldn't have been about anyone but one of the Potters.

After checking that they were alone, the others students had been permitted to sleep in, lucky them, Draco not quite whined. "Severus! Slow down! I can't breath! What is this mad dash about?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin when his godfather turned on his heels to tower over him, seemingly trying to drill his way into Draco's brain through his eyes. The Potions Master's glare intensified again.

Draco smirked internally. He had been right, only a Potter could put his normally dignified godfather into such a state.

"Tell me Draco, where is Potter?"

Draco's self preservation kicked in and so, he bit his tongue to avoid asking 'which one' as he didn't want to bear the brunt of his godfather's temper.

"Tell me, Draco, do you simpleton, have any idea where the Potter you were put in charge of is, by chance?" Severus' voice was deceptively calm.

Bristling at the clear insult, Draco puffed his chest out before answering. "Of course, I know! He was bothering me yesterday afternoon, while I was doing my homework, so I asked him to stop. He then sprouted the strangest theories about Muggles being in some ways superior to wizards. By the way, do you think that maybe surviving the killing curse messed his brain up? Or perhaps it was his transformation? He did seem different after…

Anyways, he left to find himself some first years to play with after managing to crumble my motivation, so I put my homework away and went to play chess with Blaise. I ate dinner in my chambers and then went back to my homework again.

Come to think of it, when I went to sleep after finishing my Transfiguration essay at three in the morning, he still wasn't back… I thought he fell asleep in the Common Room, until you barged into my room…" Draco's voice trailed as a frightening thought dawned on his mind. He paled.

Severus, glad to have found somebody to blame, smirked. "Yes, mister Potter is nowhere near Slytherin territory. While it seemed that he listened to you, he also took advantage of your lapse. The Headmaster came to my quarters early this morning to get me to translate The Brat's answers to some questions he had for him. As you can guess, he was not too happy with finding him gone. And his bed not slept in. Of course, you snoring in yours did not help matters. So, you have just been recruited to go on a Potter hunt, since it is your fault he got lost in the first place. What are you pouting about? You will even get to learn the passwords to the other houses' Common Rooms."

Draco perked up a little before deflating. "And you want me to believe they won't change their passwords the first chance they get after our visit?"

Severus just stared at him.

Draco finally allowed himself a small smirk. "Why not admit you didn't want to brave the lions' den alone?"

Severus smirked back. "For that tasteless remark, Draco, you will be the one going in." He stopped in front of the portrait of the fattest woman Draco had ever seen. Severus gave her the password "Value." The blond sneered, it was all so…. Gryffindorish!

Stomping, he passed through the portrait hole, enjoying the students' screams at suddenly discovering a Slytherin in their most sacred sanctuary. He waited until one of the most intelligent lions (which wasn't saying much, in Draco's opinion) went to fetch Potter's two closest friends before explaining the reason of his presence.

"Hand Potter over." He exclaimed in the haughtiest tone he could manage, crossing his arms on his chest.

And, as usual, the Weasel didn't disappoint him. He blew his top off. Draco's amusement dimmed a little as he noticed the mudblood glancing between him and her friend and having the audacity to look amused.

Hermione held a hand up, stopping the Weasley's rant instantly. "Malfoy, we haven't seen Harry since the last class of the week. Don't tell me you managed to lose him already?"

Draco sneered. "It's not like you've never done the same, is it?"

Hermione smirked back. "Then he made good on his escape, didn't he?" she mused. "Anyway, he isn't here, since he can't come here without angering Crookshanks" she pointed at the orange cat swivelling around her legs. It was glaring from time to time at Draco, as it remembered him as the one who had brought Harry over the last time, and resented him for that.

Hermione snapped her fingers under Draco's nose to break his staring contest with Crookshanks. She smirked when he frowned at her. "We'll be sure to send you an owl if he comes here. As long as you remember to warn us when he is found or if he isn't by this evening."

Draco nodded and turned on his heels to leave, but not before glancing at the discomfited Weasel's face, and storing it in his memory for future enjoyment.

As soon as the portrait closed, Hermione looked at Ron and snickered at his dumbfounded expression. She settled on a couch to wait after having retrieved a slip of parchment from her pocket.

She jumped a little when Ron roared "That little ferret! How dare he lose Harry and then come and order us to give him back!"

"Well," Hermione drawled, "it's logical to think that Harry would come here. It is his House, after all."

She jumped again when Ron hurried to her, grabbed her shoulders and proceeded to shake her. "Hermione, we have to go and look for him! He could be in danger!"

She sighed. "If the professors thought him to be in any danger, they would be otherwise worried. No, sending Malfoy here was, in my opinion, Professor Snape's idea of punishing him for losing Harry. That, and, as a professor, he had to be the one to give Malfoy the password." She glanced at the parchment she was holding and smiled broadly. "Oh my" she murmured.

Ron shook her twice. "Hermione! Now is not the time to read a letter! We've got to find Harry!"

"Oh, do calm down Ron. I know exactly where Harry is. Where he has been since last evening."

Ron and the other Gryffindors present were stunned into silence until Ginny remarked. "Um, where is he and how did you know?"

"He's with a friend of mine, who wrote me to inform me of Harry's presence."

"Oh" Ginny enquired. "Shouldn't you tell Malfoy and Professor Snape?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, I don't think I will. It should be fun to see them retrieve Harry from the Hufflepuff House. I'll have to ask my friend for a retelling. That and maybe a memory, if we could borrow the Headmaster's pensieve…"

With a laugh, the Gryffindors settled back into their previous occupations.

* * *

When Draco came back empty handed, he found his godfather leaning against the wall near the portrait, his arms crossed against his chest and wearing his preferred scowl. Seeing his godson alone, Severus drawled, "Well, it was worth a try. I'll do the next one."

They trekked to the Ravenclaw dorm at a rapid pace. Draco decided to finally ask he question he had been dwelling on. "Why did you decide to go this time?"

Severus smirked and pointed at a plate, which had been screwed on the door they were standing in front of. Words were written in a curled script on it. Draco turned to his godfather, arching an eyebrow as he waited for the answer.

When Severus didn't answer, he asked another question. "Well, aren't you going to say the password?"

Severus smirked. "The Ravenclaw dormitories, my dear godson, do not have a password. They do, however, have a little riddle the students have to answer if they wish to enter their dormitories. If you want to give it a try, be my guest."

Draco bent a little to better see the words. "Let's see." He mumbled. "I am lithe and brilliant, my body very gracious." He arched an eyebrow, who knew the stuffy Ravenclaws could be so direct? "When I spread my legs…" being a typical teen, he squeaked and reddened.

The Potions Master snorted and finished "I also spread my eyes. That would be scissors Draco, please do get your mind out of the gutter." He disappeared through the door before the flustered Draco could utter a word.

He came back a few minutes later, without Harry. His frown had deepened until it nearly hid his eyes. Draco wisely refrained from commenting and fell into step with his simmering godfather.

He suddenly stopped and exclaimed "Hey! Does that mean I'll have to go into the Hufflepuff Common Room?"

Severus stopped a few steps away and stared at him silently until Draco caved. Fuming, he started to walk again, stomping to express his disagreement.

Behind his back, Severus rolled his eyes and followed, his bad mood slightly lightened, even if Miss Lovegood's comment of 'Don't worry, Professor, you'll find your cuddler soon enough.' weighted heavily on his mind.

"So, what's the password?" Draco grumbled when they were finally standing in front of a door decorated with a carved badger.

He looked at his godfather, astonished, when the man simply handed him a piece of parchment. He took it and quickly deciphered his godfather's neat scrawl.

"What? I'm not saying this!" he glared at the Potions Master.

"Well, neither am I. So get to it!"

They silently glared at each other for a few seconds before Draco relented. Knowing his stubborn godfather, they would spend the next months like that if he didn't do something. Snarling, he turned to the badger on the door and gritted between his teeth "I love Muggleborns." He turned towards his smirking professor and glared. "I don't want to ever hear a single whisper or rumour about it. Ever." He waited until the man gave him a slight nod before walking through the passageway.

He gaped at the spectacle he discovered. For there, in front of his unbelieving eyes, was the most searched after cat-boy. Asleep on a fluffy eiderdown, and under a comforter Draco identified as cashmere, only a tuft of his hair visible, his tail lazily flicking from right to left, one of his paws peeking from under the comforter.

A slight snicker brought his attention back from gawking at the oblivious cat-teen. The Hufflepuff seated on a couch with a direct view of the eiderdown smirked at Draco.

"Hello Malfoy. You took your time. A piece of advice, if you want. The more you'll try to close Harry in, the more he'll fight you. Give him some limits, as well as a logical reason why to respect them, and all you'll have to do is trust him to respect those limits. He'll stay put then. But don't forget to be very specific when you set the limits, for he'll take advantage of every little imprecision."

"Whatever. Who made you the Potter Behavourial Expert?" Draco grumbled before turning to Harry and grabbing a corner of the comforter in preparation of giving it a tug. He shook his head as he saw the zooming snitch. He yanked it off the sleeping teen-cat who shivered and opened an eye to gaze at Draco before rolling into a tight ball and closing his eyes to go back to sleep with a sigh.

"Oh no, Potter you don't. Not after everything I did to find you."

He was unprepared for Harry throwing himself in his arms and purring loudly. /Draco, you took your time!/

"Potter…" Draco growled.

Harry yawned and stared at Draco with wide and teary eyes. /But Draco, I did what you told me to do. I found myself some first years to play with./

Draco heaved a long-suffering sigh. "But did it have to be Hufflepuffs, Harry?"

/The Ravenclaw door didn't understand me, and I certainly didn't want to try Crookshanks' patience./

Draco agreed wit a slight shiver and pushed the clinging Harry off of him. He turned back on his way to the door when he didn't hear the sounds of Harry's bells following him. Harry froze in his tracks as he was discreetly returning to his eiderdown.

"Do I have to immobilise you and then levitate you back Potter? Or would you rather that I'd drag you back by your paw? Or perhaps your tail?"

Harry pouted, looking with a forlorn air at his comfortable nest.

The Hufflepuff laughed and shrunk both the eiderdown and comforter, handing them to the Slytherin waiting none too patiently near the door.

"Hold onto this, and he'll follow you nearly anywhere. At least until he managed to get them back. Oh!" he added, running to get the bottomless bowl and back to Draco "Don't forget this. The way into your pet's heart is through its stomach. It also works for men. Strange coincidence, that…"

Draco, stunned, accepted the objects, and, looking at a longing Harry stepped through the door, smirking when he heard Harry's cry of /My bowl!/ and then the hurried sound of jiggling bells.

As soon as they were outside and the door was closed, their Potions professor hissed "Detention, Potter, tonight in the Potions classroom at eight. Do not be late or you'll find yourself not only missing your leather mouse, but also on a dry cat food regimen. As well as having a detention during the next holydays, meaning you wouldn't be able to go and see the people you consider important. Do I make myself clear?"

While Severus glared at Harry, Harry stared unblinkingly back. And then, he shocked Severus by sending him a smirk showing much too many fang-like teeth for Severus' peace of mind.

"Draco" Severus told the Slytherin, "get mister Potter to the Headmaster. He has some questions that need translating." Without another word, he turned on his heels, making his robes flare in the bottom and Harry sighed in disappointment as Draco tugged him away from the very battable hem.

Severus got back to his quarters, he had marking to do. As he was going to close his bedroom door, something caught his eyes in the mirror. The blasted mirror had decided to share another vision with him. As if his day hadn't been hectic enough already!

A young man appeared, kneeling in front of a stone wall that Hogwarts seemed to have an abundance of. He was pounding his fists on the floor and, from the blood staining them, he had been at it for quite some time.

Even from the distance, there was no mistaking that messy crop of black hair. It was Potter who was there, pounding on the floor in anger and despair.

Without opening his eyes, the crying teen tilted his head back and released a primal cry of anguish, making the Potions Master's heart stutter.

The young man began to cry harder, still pounding the unforgiving floor.

Suddenly, a read-head ran into the room and hurried to the young man's side. She snatched his bloodied hands into hers mid punch and drew his arms around her.

She rocked the both of them, Potter grabbing the back of her robes with such strength that he was nearly ripping them.

After a few minutes, the boy's heavy sobs quietened down, his uneasy respiration deep enough to indicate sleep.

The girl took his glasses off before she wiped his cheeks and running nose with her handkerchief, never stopping the rocking.

She gently threaded her fingers through Potter's hair before tucking his head on her shoulder.

Only then did she opened the eyes she had kept closed to ward her own tears off. Revealing, instead of what Severus strangely hoped to be the Ginevra Weasley's brown eyes, Lily Evans's bright and teary green eyes.

Snape's heart seemed to have disapparated elsewhere as the mirror went back to his own reflection. Astounded, he reached with a trembling hand to wipe at the tears he had spread. Why did he have the urge to rush and embrace the despairing James, never to let him go? Why was he jealous of the red-haired? Why?

Sneering, he turned on his heels, intending to return to his grading. He had some students's essays he could vent his anger and frustration on. The thought of parchments shone a new light on Gryffindor's comment, and reminded him of the book he had glimpsed under the bed in James's secret room.

The Potions Master strode to James's secret room. Once in front of the portrait he took a deep breath and gave a smirking Godric the password. Rushing into the room, he stopped near the bed and, before he could convince himself not to, knelt on the floor to look under the bed. The small, innocuous leather book was still there. Scowling, he accioed it and examined it carefully. It was a leather bound volume of approximately a hundred visible pages, with no title on the cover or spine. Severus sat on the bed, the book resting on his legs, his hands caressing its cover.

He drew his wand and casted all the spells he knew that would reveal the book for not being what it was, or being an enchanted item like the Dark Lord's diary. No, the book was only what it appeared to be.

Squaring his shoulders, he opened it at random and read the poem on the page.

The first time I saw you,

I could only scream "nay",

To keep you away.

Because, well, I knew

I could not resist

Midnight eyes and pouty lips.

Filled my head with sappy thoughts

And fuelled my body's desires

I don't have your way with words, and though

Can only tell you I love you.

While the poetry was not the best, it struck a chord in him, making him think that perhaps there was more to the little story he had been told than sexual frustration. After all, he only had one side of the story, and it had been told by a person that had already proved that he could deceive the Potions Master.

He turned the pages listlessly until a date caught his eyes. Two days before the lake incident. He quickly read the simple sentences. 'I absolutely refuse! I will NOT do it! Never!'; and then the day after, a tentative 'Alright, but that doesn't mean I like it. You can put your very convincing skills to use to make it up to me later!'

Severus frowned and closed the book abruptly. He shrunk it before burying it in one of his pockets. He refused to look at it more in this room. Perhaps a visit to Madam Pomfrey was necessary. Severus disliked not knowing things, especially if one of the Marauders knew them. And Madam Pomfrey had been nagging him to come for a check-up, giving him the perfect excuse to go without appearing as the one to make the first move.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry was enjoying his Headmaster's hospitality. Meaning he got to gorge on cream while shamelessly purring as his father and two godfathers took turns scratching his ears.

Draco, after having delivered Harry safely, had stayed to translate a few questions. He had arched an eyebrow at the inanity of some of the questions, like 'what is the best materiel to nap on, cashmere, wool or silk?' but politely translated. Until Remus Lupin had floo-called the office, and then he had been sent away with the promise that Harry would join him in the library later, after Harry himself had promised he would go there without delay.

* * *

The Potions Master was submitting to a complete check-up with only slight grumbling. As Poppy had finished, and before she had the gall to hand him a sweet for good behaviour or some such nonsense, he breathed deeply and stressed how important he considered patient/healer secrecy to be, and then explained that he suspected that he was under a memory charm. Madam Pomfrey went back to work.

* * *

Down into the dungeons, Rabastan Lestrange flooed into the absent Potions Master's quarters. He stood for a few minutes, listening to the silence and called for Severus. Hearing no answer, he cautiously made his way into his Death Eater comrade's bedroom. He spent a few minutes throwing charms, hexes and curses at the mirror, after having taken the precaution of casting a shield on himself first to avoid any unpleasant rebound, as well as a ward on the door to warn him if somebody approached. He never noticed Fawkes flashing away.

* * *

The Dark Lord snapped his eyes open from his try at accessing Harry's mind through their link. He looked at the cowering Wormtail and the slithering Nagini in turn. He shook his head to dispel the unwanted image he had seen. Potter's mind had become a truly frightening place since his transformation.

* * *

As soon as Fawkes appeared in the Headmaster's office, Harry squeaked and rushed in pursuit of the phoenix, who indulged him into a game of tag. James grabbed a few prepared supplies and hurried out of the Headmaster's office under his invisibility cloak, after hugging Harry tightly and waving to his fellow Marauders.

Albus accepted the parchment Sirius was holding out to him and threw a pinch of floo powder into the fire.

* * *

Poppy had finished her detailed examination and was frowning at the parchment displaying the results.

Severus was waiting more or less patiently, seated on a bed nearby. She finally put her parchment down on the nearest bedside table, keeping her wand in hand and fiddling with it. She gulped as she stared into the Potions Master's expectant frown. She started to explain. "I found traces of a slowly unravelling memory charm. But" she hastened to add, seeing as Severus was opening his mouth to speak, "the memory charm seemed a little strange, so I looked more into it. It is like nothing I've ever seen. It looked like something more, like there was an hidden charm under the charm…"

"A two level memory charm? That's impossible, you must have made a mistake, and…"

An irate Poppy cut the professor's rant short. "I'll let you know that I do not make mistakes while I diagnosis. It may be a charm I haven't used often since the last war, but I have used it often enough, sometime as much as five times a day, to be sure of myself. I even casted it thrice to be absolutely sure.

No, somebody must have tinkered with the memory charm to make it possible for it to hide something by a lie, itself being hidden by the charm. And I know of only three persons whom would both be able to do that and have access to you. You-Know-Who, professor Flitwick and …" she trailed and shook her head. "You-Know-Who would have no reason to do that, he would have killed you out right. Professor Flitwick either, but he would not have killed you, I mean…" she shut her mouth to stop her rambling.

"Evans…" Severus nearly sighed, it always came back to Potter.

Poppy nodded.

"Break it!" he imperiously ordered her.

Poppy recoiled, shocked. "But the consequences, and the possible side-effects… We'll need a mind healer, and…"

"I. Don't. Care" he rubbed his face with his hands. "I have a feeling that it has to be done." He explained.

Poppy relented, she knew he was stubborn enough to research the counter charm and try to cast him himself should she refuse to help. Better to do it in a semi-controlled environment, where she could floo Saint Mungo's should something go wrong.

"Alright, lie down on the bed." She briskly ordered. As soon as he was done, she added "Try to lower your occlumency walls to the maximum." She waited for his nod of confirmation before placing a silencing ward around his bed. She then cautiously set to work.

* * *

Albus checked something on his parchment before calling through the fire "Severus? Are you here? There is a point in your curriculum for the first years that I feel we must discuss. I'm stepping in. Severus?"

As he stepped out of the floo; he acted as if he hadn't seen the door to Severus' quarters closing softly. He checked where his quarry was on the Marauder's map and proceeded to guide it where he wanted it to be.

* * *

James was seated in an unused classroom, copying lines on a parchment while an animated drawing made in chalk was on the board. From time to time, he looked at the drawing and smiled before going back to work.

* * *

Unconscious of being herded, but suspicious of the numerous nearly missed encounters, Rabastan threw the door of James' s classroom open, slithered in and quickly closed the door.

He froze when somebody asked him "Are you in detention too?"

He whirled around to see a longhaired man with his hair tied in a braid seated at a desk in front of a parchment covered in lines.

The longhaired man frowned and looked him over. "I feel like I know you. Do I know you?"

Rabastan stared attentively at James before shaking his head. "No, I don't think so." He was considering his options, his visit was to stay secret. He couldn't kill the man, somebody would notice his absence. Maybe obliviate him? He was taking his wand out of his sleeve when the man, who had been biting his lip in thought, smiled.

"I know! You're the man from the mirror! You didn't change at all! I'm Louis!"

Rabastan's eyes widened, his plan changing to kidnapping. "But how…"

"I don't know." James looked down. "The Headmaster refuses to tell me. He won't even tell the scowling man into whose bedroom I arrived."

"The scowling man?"

James nodded. "Yes. He's got good threats, but he is much too serious. I followed your advice, and he put me in detention!" He shook his head, as if incredulous that such people existed.

Rabastan gulped. "You pranked him?"

'Louis' nodded and smiled. "It was fun too."

'Louis's smile was infectious and Rabastan felt himself respond. "What did you do?" _Above all, don't frighten him into sounding the alert, keep things nice and unfrightening _Rabastan thought.

'Louis' pointed at the board to the drawing.

Rabastan focussed on the board to see a drawing of somebody snoozing in a bed, as indicated by two little house elves dressed as Bavarian wood cutters sawing a log of wood in a bubble above its head. They popped out of existence when the little figure woke up, sitting into bed, yawning and stretching before sleepily trudging to a door, which lead to the bathroom.

The little figure stepped into the shower before closing its door and throwing its nightshirt over it. Little puffs of smoke began to rise over the shower, indicating that the shower was running.

The little figure could then be seen by transparency, rubbing its hands together, creating a large amount of bubbles. It then began to wash its arms and chest, before squeezing the two mounds its hands found there and freaking, which was showed by the little figure's shoulder length hair standing on end and its arms waving in the air.

The drawing then went back to its beginning.

Rabastan was shocked. "You gave SNAPE breasts while he slept?"

'Louis' nodded "Though not while he slept. I even had to swear not to tell, but he never said anything about showing. And besides, he made fun of my hair, said it was girly!"

Rabastan stood silent and immobile for a few seconds, staring at a pouting 'Louis' before smirking. "So, Louis, interested in ditching detention?"

'Louis' nodded eagerly.

"I know someone who would be very interested in meeting you."

'Louis' hesitated. "But the professor forbid me to leave this classroom, he said that if I wasn't here when he came back for me, he would cut my hair off…"

Rabastan rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll sort him out." And mentally wondered if he could ask the Dark Lord for protection against an enraged Snape. Then again, perhaps the Dark Lord would be please enough with Louis's presence…

'Louis' finally nodded. "Alright then." He put his quill down and followed Rabastan in the corridor after the Death Eater had made sure that they were clear to go. 'Louis' flicked his wand once behind his back before leaving the room. The lines, which read 'I must not give breasts to Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's Potions Master' when Rabastan arrived, now read 'Mission accomplished, I left with Rabastan Lestrange'.

A few minutes later, Albus, after an ultimo check of the Marauders' map, entered the room. He picked James's parchment up and read the single sentence. He bit his lip and murmured "I pray nothing happens to you, for your friends and son's sakes."

He picked the invisibility cloak from where James had told him he would leave it.

He was turning to go when something caught his eyes. He goggled for a few seconds at the blackboard. He left with a lighter heart and a slight smile, but didn't erase the drawing.

* * *

James was carefully putting his steps into Rabastan's. "I really love this forest!" he informed his Death Eater guide, after he had dispatched the third creature intend on devouring them. "It's so wild, so full of magic!"

Rabastan smirked "You would."

James's frown left as soon as it arrived. Even if his guide's commentary implied that he knew more than James would have liked, it was now too late to try and abort the mission.

Rabastan stopped them as soon as they had passed the anti-apparition wards. "I have to check you for tracking charms. Stay still." He even used 'Finite Incantatum', just to be on the safe side, but found nothing.

"We'll do a joint apparition," he warned 'Louis' before grabbing his arms and apparating both of them to the mansion where he, his brother and sister-in-law were hiding. He dragged 'Louis' to the lounge where he knew he could find both of them at this time of the day and threw the doors open.

"Brother, Bellatrix, let me introduce you to 'Louis', the young boy I told you about…"

Bellatrix looked up from the rats she was practicing her torture curses on in indignation. "You brought a snivelling brat here? I'm not changing his nappies!"

"As if I would let you!" 'Louis' exclaimed, "Besides, I'll have you know that I have been potty trained for quite some years, now." 'Louis' crossed his arms and glowered at the insane witch.

She got up and slithered up to the frowning 'Louis'. She looked him up and down and licked her lips. "My, did you grow up nicely…" she nearly purred, snuggling into 'Louis's side and caressing his arms and back.

Rabastan smirked at 'Louis' s glance not so subtly pleading for help. He could have sworn he saw 'Louis's braid standing on end when Bellatrix's hands found his rear side and squeezed.

"Your rats!" 'Louis' squeaked, "They're fleeing!"

Bellatrix ripped herself from the madly blushing 'Louis' with a howl of rage before rushing to the pedestal table where she had left her wand to retrieve it before running in pursuit of the rats, trying to curse them while running after them. She quickly disappeared in a corridor. 'Louis' sighed discreetly. He jumped a little when Rodolphus addressed him.

"My wife seems to like you." He remarked from his armchair, folding the Daily Prophet he had been perusing when they arrived to give 'Louis' his undivided attention. "And I can see why."

'Louis' glared at him. "You let your wife go around groping strangers?"

Rodolphus nodded and made a spectacle of checking 'Louis' out from head to toe. "As long as I can do the same." He leered, smirking when 'Louis' blushed deeper.

'Louis' was quick in rejecting the offer. His frown at being played with was not nearly as effective as it could have been, had he not been blushing nearly Gryffindor red.

Rodolphus chuckled. "Yes, I could see how it would be irritating, battling with Bellatrix for a moment with you."

'Louis' blinked. Rodolphus added "Besides, I'm sure you prefer this kind of attention to the one the rats got." He got up and exited the room, caressing 'Louis's arm as he went and snickering when 'Louis' s blush heightened.

"Sie sind vollständig verrückt." 'Louis' mumbled and turned to a laughing Rabastan. "Well, I can see how those two would be _interested_ in meeting me!" he huffed with a hint of accusation.

Rabastan shook his head. "No" he grinned, "they are my family." He cracked up into laughter when 'Louis' mumbled "Well, I can see the resemblance. Oh, not you too!" He sobered and explained "We will be staying with them until the Lord I want to introduce you to can grant us an audience. Let's find you a room."

'Louis' nodded. "Do the professor knows them?"

"Yes." Rabastan was curious to know where 'Louis' was going with this.

"Well, if they hit on him like that, it could explain why he's so grumpy."

* * *

At Hogwarts, said Potions professor was slumped on a bed, unconscious. The nurse, Madam Pomfrey, was deeply worried. Oh, breaking both memory charms had been easy enough. Everything had gone well, no screaming, no convulsing, just that Severus Snape was not waking up. She debated, should she try and woke him up? She finally did nothing, letting Severus sleep, based on the knowledge that a charm devised by Lily Evans would never hurt Severus Snape, even if they had stopped being friends in their fifth year. Lily would never do anything to hurt her former friend.

No, the only other option was that Severus was still unconscious because it hadn't been a lone memory that had been so carefully hidden.

While Poppy was fretting, Severus was dreaming. Some of his dreams were studious like this discussion they had on the levitation charm.

Others were more violent, like this time in first year when the Marauders had tried to hex him with a colour changing jinx, and he had surprised them by dropping his wand, charging and tackling James Potter, starting their first fist fight.

And the pivotal one, in their fourth year. The Slytherin Quiditch team had beaten both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff teams. The celebratory party had been a blast, the older years having managed to smuggle Firewhiskey in. Severus had been curious, like every teenager. Even with his father as the example of what alcohol could do, he had wanted just a taste to see what everybody was so excited about.

He hadn't liked at all how it made his world tilt on its side, and so had decided to take a walk to clear his head.

During his walk, he had come across James Potter, on his way back to his Common room from a kitchen raid.

James, upon seeing him, had started to taunt him. Severus had fixated on his mouth, and, emboldened by the alcohol left in his system, had leaned over and peck the stunned James on the lips.

They had started to talk after that day, hiding from their friends until they knew where they stood.

Things had started to take a surprising turn when one of their discussions had taken a turn towards something often present on teenagers' minds.

One thing leading to another, they came back to the kiss that had started their friendship. James had commented that it hadn't even been a real kiss.

Severus had teased him by asking how he would know what a real kiss was. This afternoon, Severus Snape received his first french kiss by James Potter, and he had liked it. And then said Gryffindor tried to spontaneously combust with a blush before he fled the room as if Filch was on his heels.

Things had gotten steamier after that. Severus had been showed James's secret room. He had felt pride in being the first one to hold a naked James Potter, and making him lose all control.

He had also been the first to hold James on another, much less joyous, occasion, when James had cried all over his robe after having received the letter from his father informing him of his mother's death.

He had been happy when James had, from the start, let him organise their public lives. He had been the one to whom James had confessed that he had no idea what being the head of a family entailed, and that he didn't feel he would be able to do it.

He had been the one to suggest James married Lily, both to help her, and to appease his father, who had been harping on James to marry and produce the next Potter heir.

He had been the one to teach James Occlumency and Legilimency.

He had been the one James always returned to after each one of their fights.

The last dream took place in his bedroom, at Hogwarts, a few days before James, Lily and Harry went into hiding.

He had awoken at the first sign of an intrusion. He heard somebody muttering a few words he hadn't recognised. His body had, on its own accord, relaxed on the bed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open his eyes.

He heard something glassy being gently put on his night table. The next thing he knew was that salty tasting lips were lightly kissing his before kissing both his eyelids.

The lips then went to his ear and murmured "I did what I had to to protect you both. Sayonara, Mo Chridhe. I'll probably be dead soon."

When Severus had opened his eyes in the morning, he had found the stag statuette on his night table.

Severus then opened his eyes, to Madam Pomfrey's great relief. He turned his face away from her into the pillow to mope the lone tear he authorised himself to shed. He patiently let the Mediwitch run all the scans she wanted until she was sure he would not suddenly drop dead, while he went back over what he learned.

As soon as he had been released, he hastened to his quarters. He settled into his armchair and fished the book from his pocket. He enlarged it and started to read from the start. Until he reached the last page…

The date on the upper left corner was the one of the day he had thrown both Potters out of his quarters. His eyes quickly skimmed through the words written there.

He swore loudly and continuously for a few minutes when he was finished. "Oh yes, you will be dead, because I'll kill you myself! And then I'll resurrect you just so I can chain you to my bed so you'll stay out of trouble!" he mumbled darkly. He strode to the chimney and threw some floo powder inside before bellowing "Headquarters!" and putting his head in the fire.

"Yes, Severus?" Severus felt glad for the policy that the Headmaster had insisted to enforce in case of a wrong call. He was in no state to speak to Black.

"Put Potter on!" he snapped at the stunned werewolf.

"But Severus, James is at Hogwarts, with Albus…" The Potions Master severed the call. He made it to the Headmaster's office in record time. Nobody was brave enough to stop him, the students nearly diving out of his way when they caught sight of his expression.

He slammed the Headmaster's door open and swooped inside, uncaring of the fact that Albus might not have been alone. Fortunately, he was.

He slammed both hands on the desk and leaned over to look at a startled Albus.

"Where is that idiot Potter?"

"Severus?" The Headmaster sounded unsure.

"Where. Is. He? I already know he is not at Headquarters."

"He is currently…"

Realisation dawned on Severus. "Undercover in a Death Eater lair. I need to know where. Where did you sent him? Who did he go with?"

"Why would you want to know? Isn't it dangerous, you knowing?"

"So I can put to use a good piece of advice I received from one of Potter's acquaintances."

"Which would be?"

"The better way to keep Gryffindors out of trouble is to keep them… otherwise occupied."

"Well James…"

"Oh, Merlin! Lestrange, he must have left with Lestrange, it's the only Death Eater he could have come into contact at Hogwarts since Lestrange was appointed by the Dark Lord to try and solve the mirror mystery!"

Albus sighed deeply and nodded. "He insisted to do something. You know that apart from you, he's the best one we have for the job."

"Because they don't know who he really is." Severus reluctantly conceded.

"Since he's dead."

"Yes. And how do this overgrown teenager plans on reporting? Since he can hardly floo for a chat?"

Albus sighed. "He left with a miniaturised painting of Salazar Slytherin, that he hoped to be able to plant as a spying device. Salazar agreed to go to collect information on Voldemort. I think James arranged with Fawkes for rendez-vous, so he could give him reports."

"He doesn't have an emergency portkey?"

"No, he said that should he be discovered, he wouldn't have time to use it anyway."

Severus scoffed at Albus. "How noble, it's so Gryffindorish! I have a trip to make this week-end, I'll be incommunicado." Severus then turned on his heels and swept out of the office, letting a gaping Albus in his wake.

* * *

A grumbling Harry had been reminded of his promise to join Draco in the library to wait until Rabastan Lestrange had left. It wouldn't do, after all, for a confirmed Death Eater to suddenly come face to face with a more or less defenceless Harry Potter. Though James had remarked that he pitied the poor Death Eaters it would happen to, with his transformation…

Harry pushed the library door open and dragged himself in reluctantly. He winced as he found Draco, Pansy, Blaise and Theodore seated at a table side by side, a piece of parchment and self-inking quill in front of each of them. Crabbe and Goyle were seated at a table nearby, their noses into what looked like copies of Lockhart's books. Something sounding suspiciously like sniggers could sometime be heard.

Harry considered for two whole seconds running the other way, but it was too late, he had been spotted.

Grumbling on the unfairness of it all, he slumped bonelessly in the lone chair facing the row of Slytherins. Gulping, he stared at each of his classmates in turn.

Draco smirked. "Welcome, Harry Potter, to the Slytherin study group panel. We will test you on a subject each. The quill will write your answers. The questions will cover all five years curriculum.

I'll do Potions, Pansy will do Charms, Blaise Transfigurations and Theodore Herbology. Is there an order in which you would like to start?"

Harry shook his head.

"I thought so. Ladies first." He nodded to Pansy.

For the next four hours, Harry was thoroughly grilled. In the end, he felt as energetic as a half dead flobberworm. He curiously looked as all the Slytherins discretely casted a charm on their piece of parchment.

As a result, some of Harry's answers shone green, others silver and, lastly, some others red, though they were more or less rare, depending on the subject. Harry himself was surprised by the amount of information he ahd managed to soak up just by hanging around Hermione and Neville.

Draco waved Crabbe and Goyle over and each Slytherin rattled a more or less long list of books. Both hulking Slytherins disappeared in the shelves.

Draco turned to Harry. "Alright Potter, as you perhaps noticed, the red indicated the false answers, the green ones are correct ones, just not enough detailed or justified, and silver indicated perfect ones.

You will study the chapters we will indicate you in the books Crabbe and Goyle will deposit on your bedside table. It will be a good way to keep you out of trouble. You will be tested on it next week, so no slacking. And no biting or scratching the books, or you'll be fined.

Once you have been brought up to an acceptable level, you will be integrated into the panel, in charge of defence. You will review the revision course we have set up for defence, and inform us of your corrections.

Once done, we will include you in the Revision Program. Besides, the SPROG will start meeting tomorrow, but we want you to make a few lists to answer those questions: what image do you want to present to the world and why? What could help you mould this image? What could be detrimental to it? And how to turn around a detrimental thing into a helping one?

But first, let's get some food into you before you fell asleep on the table."

Harry perked up at the idea of food and waited more or less patiently for each Slytherin to give Draco their parchment to put into a grey file labelled H. Potter. Harry turned to leave and stopped abruptly to goggle at Crabbe and Goyle laden with so many books that, Harry was sure that if they were put in a pile, would have been twice as high as him. He didn't know if he should be awed by the capacity of Draco's bodyguards at carrying such weight or dismayed that he would have to go through all of them.

"Relax Potter" Draco drawled, "I spoke of chapters, not whole books to study."

/And that's better how?/

The Slytherins chuckled as they went to Madam Pince to divide the books between themselves to check them out. Harry remarked that Madam Pince did not seemed surprised by the large amount of books the Slytherins borrowed. They made sure to keep an eye on Harry, lest they suddenly found themselves missing their Gryffindor.

After a detour to dispose of the books and their school bags, the group trouped to the Great Hall and a well-earned dinner. While they passed a group of Harry's housemates, Harry, from between his Slytherin escort group, mewled piteously and extended his arms to his housemates.

/Help me!/ he mewled. /They're planning to torture me with books! Death by paper! They want to doom me to this horrible, horrible fate!/

Ginny shook her head. "Sorry Harry, I can't understand a thing you're trying to say."

Blaise chuckled. "He's complaining because we're making him revise."

Ginny turned to the miserable teen cat "Harry?" she questioned.

Harry sadly nodded and subjected Ginny to his best kitty eyes.

She giggled and slipped between Blaise and Draco to hug Harry. She rubbed his back until he purred and angled her face to kiss him on the cheek.

Her mouth curled as his whiskers tickled her. She then hugged Harry one last time and smiled at him. "Harry, Hermione will be so proud of you!" She then scurried to join her friends who had been waiting for her near their table.

Harry pouted, and, obeying his escort's prompting, followed them inside the Hall.

He eyed the Gryffindor table, where Ginny was seated at Hermione's side and murmuring into her ear. When she was finished, Hermione beamed happily at him. Harry's shoulders slumped. No help from this side, then.

He glanced at the other tables, and found the Ravenclaws staring right back at him. He shivered lightly. Anyway, they wouldn't have helped, they lived for homework! A part of the Hufflepuff table, centred around Hermione's friend, was looking as if they were barely refraining from laughing out loud.

Harry pouted, nobody liked him. They all looked too happy to let him under the guard of his Slytherin torturers.

Harry looked towards the teachers' table. He gulped as he crossed his Potions professor's calculating stare. He barely refrained from checking that he still had his pants on. He suddenly hung his head, his tail hanging limply behind him. He had remembered his evening detention.

He dejectedly took his place between Draco and Blaise. He had considered running out of the Hall to hide in his bed, but decided against such a rash action, it was not worth the humiliation of being stunned or accioed back to the table in front of the whole school.

He toyed with his vegetables, eliciting disgusted sneers from his neighbours. Draco, finally fed up with his antics, grabbed his wrist and tugged his paw from the unappetizing puree Harry had made in his plate.

He held Harry's paw over the plate while he whipped his wand out of his sleeve. He calmly cleaned Harry's paw and vanished Harry's plate to the kitchens.

He then turned to Harry, frowning. "It'll be worse if your stomach is empty you know. Besides, I somehow have the feeling that I was included in the detention. I'm sure professor Snape considered it my fault, anyways."

A little bit reassured, Harry began to eye Draco's plate. Draco growled "Don't even think about it." and protected his plate with his arms.

Pansy, who was seated in front of Harry, chuckled and mixed some potatoes, carrots and broccoli with some steam cooked salmon in the new plate that had appeared in front of Harry. She warned him. "I will enchant a fork to feed you. You will not put your paws in the plate, or I'll bind you to the bench. Did I make myself clear enough?"

Harry, his eyes wide open, nodded quickly while his stomach complained about its empty state.

"And you will finish your plate without complaint, or it will be no dessert for you, and I've heard something about lemon cheese cake."

Harry nodded again.

Pansy tapped the fork with her wand and moved it in three concentric smaller and smaller concentric circles over the fork, which trembled. As she was closing the last circle, she spoke the activation of the charm. "Becquée."

The fork then stood on its prongs before jumping into Harry's plate to spear a piece of carrot. It then levitated to Harry's mouth who obediently opened his mouth and delicately tugged the piece of carrot from the prongs.

All during his meal, Harry was the attraction of the Slytherin table, whose members gave him covert glances all the time the fork fed him.

Once his plate was clean, his fork clattered to the table. He purred when Pansy swapped his empty plate with one containing a lemon-flavoured cheesecake baked in the form of a big lizard that tottered along the plate.

With a shout of triumph, Harry speared the wandering cake with his claws in its middle, lifting the wriggling pastry to his mouth. He devoured it in three quick bites before starting a primping session.

The Slytherin girls, who had looked away in disgust when he had attacked his lizard cake, looked back and sighed when he started to purr.

The boys, who had stared in horrified fascination as Harry had bit the lizard's tail off before swallowing its head rolled their eyes as Harry started to primp.

Harry, once finished with his primping, decided to try his best kitten eyes on his Slytherin professor. Who knew, he might be able to change his professor's mind… Yeah right.

He quickly rethought his strategy when he saw his professor's thunderous expression. He made a hasty exit, hoping that the old adage 'Early come, early gone' would apply to this detention. But knowing his luck, it would not be so and would only make matters worse.

He dragged his paws as much as he dared on the way to the dungeons. He looked at the closed door, dreading what could be behind it. He jumped in a silently shaking with laughter Draco's arms when the door opened, creaking.

The looming professor arched an eyebrow at the scene he discovered and pointed to the inside of the classroom. His mouth curled up when Draco, refusing to listen to a protesting Harry, carried him inside bridal style.

He took advantage on Draco holding with all his might onto a squirming Harry to cast a spell unnoticed on Harry.

He checked the results on the parchment they appeared on. Even though he had a slight idea of what they would be, seeing it confirmed by this spell was still a shock.

He came back to the situation at hand when a stool creaked. He glared at a squirming Harry to cover the remnants of his uneasiness.

He smirked and addressed the boys. "Draco, you will be organising the students stocks." He then opened his drawer and took a pile of parchment so thick he had to use both his hands to get it out. He put it down on his desk with a loud 'thunk' noise.

Draco groaned and stood up to walk and collect the pile. He accepted the parchment, ink pot and feather his godfather was handing him before stepping into the room behind the teacher's desk containing the stocks used by students.

Harry gulped. What could his punishment be? He was sure that even the worst case his imagination suggested would not even come close to what his professor would make him do.

He gulped again when he found his Slytherin's dark eyes staring at him, and suddenly felt a pressing need to be elsewhere, especially when his teacher spoke.

"As for you, mister Potter, you will be doing your favourite detention. And don't even think of cheating, the stains were charmed not to be removable by magic."

Harry shuddered as he followed his teacher's pointing finger to a corner where six cauldrons where waiting in line, next to a bucket filled with soapy water. A small and round horse brush was waiting on a nearby stool.

Harry reluctantly slipped his paw under the handle of the brush and carefully dipped it into the soapy water. He made sure to soak the brush's bristles but not his paw before going to scrub at the first cauldron.

As the hours passed, Harry became wetter and wetter. And thus more and more miserable. It was official, Harry "Cat" Potter was in Cat Hell.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.

And I borrowed the song 'Another one bites the dust' from Queen, only the adaptation of the lyrics to fit the story is mine.

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French. And a butchering of Gaelic, and Mugles...

Beta : Yep! Please, welcome LoveBird17! I'm sorry for the long wait, I'm planning my moving, again...Would someone be kind enough to draw me a Harry-cat to cheer me up?

Just a filler chapter, really.

Still here? On with the show!

Chapter 15 - 'Cause all Potters need a Slytherin solution

Harry was nearly finished with his last cauldron and already day-dreaming about his comfortable and, more importantly, dry eiderdown.

He jumped in the air when the professor landed another cauldron next to him.

Harry's eyes rounded when he took the size of the cauldron in. It was enormous! Gigantic! Was he expected to wash, by paw, this behemoth of a cauldron? He would still be there in another month!

His Severus smirked. "When you are done gawking at this cauldron, you will wash it. Once you're done, you will warn me so that I will know that I have to walk you to the Slytherin common room. Get to it!"

Harry jumped a little in place, excited to finally be able to see the end of this horrible detention. His Severus sure knew how to make a cat miserable… He carefully tilted the cauldron on its side once he had made sure that the gooey stuff inside would not spill. He had absolutely no wish to be obligated to take a bath or shower on top of this gruesome detention.

Severus looked on as Harry reluctantly and prudently knelt in front of the tilted cauldron. He allowed himself a small smirk when Harry, having carefully poked his head inside the cauldron, began to sneeze repeatedly. He retreated to his desk where he fished an heavily written on piece of parchment from his drawer. He quickly added a line at the end of it before putting it back in his drawer, locking and warding it.

"Professor? I have something I'd like you to look at…" Draco asked from the students' stocks. The professor was about to refuse when he noticed Draco's frowning face. The Potions Master glided to join his favourite pupil in the students' stocks.

Harry, having stood up to wet his brush, took a look around and noticed the absence of his Slytherin professor. He bit his lips when an idea entered his mind. It was such a good idea, that he couldn't wait to test it. The gooey stuff inside of the cauldron looked really fresh, so perhaps the professor didn't have time to charm the stains un-removable by magic? Heartened, Harry decided to test his theory. After all, what could… No, he was not going to jinx it, and so, he did it. He cheered under his breath when the cauldron became clean with a sweep of his wrist, and no alarm sounded, nor did his Slytherin rush to punish him more.

He climbed into the cauldron to inspect it, partly because he had never seen a cauldron so big before, and partly because he was now bored. He giggled softly when he noticed how round his reflection was. He dried his fur before playing with his reflection for a few minutes. He yawned suddenly, his eyes drooping, as he huddled slowly on himself. He never noticed when he gradually slumped to lie on his side.

Half an hour later, Draco and Severus emerged from the stocks, both wearing matching frowns.

"The second years were the last class to have need of doxy venom; but none of them are tall enough to reach the shelf it was hidden on. And none of them took their wands into the stores, or the wards would have recorded it and warn me. I'll have to research what class or students used some."

Draco nodded and looked around. He paled when he noticed the absence of a certain cat-boy.

Severus was striding to his desk to place an order for another vial of doxy venom to replace the venom, which had evaporated because some stupid somebody list the stopper of the vial and hid the vial instead of immediately telling him. When he'll get his hands on the little miscreant….

"Severus…" Draco's voice was soft and hesitant. He winced when his godfather glared at him for distracting him from his order. Draco gulped and ploughed on. "Where is the cat-brat?" He got out in a rush.

Severus started and looked around. When his search proved Potter-less, he swore for a long time before sliding his wand out of his sleeve.

"Point me to Potter." Draco and him both blinked when the wand pointed at Severus' biggest cauldron. Draco smirked and teased "Don't tell me you named your cauldron Potter. Though I can see the resemblance with Potter's ego."

Severus snarled silently and strode to the cauldron to inspect it. The corners of his mouth curled up as he spied the inside of the cauldron.

Intrigued, Draco hurried to join him and discovered good blackmail material in the form of a teenage wizard-cat snoozing in a tight ball at the bottom of the cauldron. He winced slightly and remarked "He can't be comfortable. Should we wake him up?" All the while regretting the absence of a camera carrying Creevey rodent.

* * *

Severus frowned as he exited the shop. None of the merchandise had seemed right to him. Not that he was used to make such research. Anyway, he hadn't thought there would be, but it had been better to check near home first. Of course, not so near that he would run the risk of being recognised, and starting rumours.

With a sigh, he apparated to 'l'Allée magique' in Paris to continue his search.

* * *

Harry was trying to avoid falling asleep, and it was not easy. Now that he had been 'catified', he was not only easily distracted, but was also liable to fall asleep anywhere, and at any time during the day, while it was difficult for him to fall asleep at night.

The third time Draco had seen him nodding off on his book, he had charmed Harry's chair to vibrate when he began to fall asleep, waking him up. Being woken up with a start was doing nothing good to Harry's motivation to study, a point he was a claw from making very clear to Draco.

* * *

James sighed deeply. He was bored out of his wits. The only possible way for him to alleviate his boredom would be to join the three Lestrange in the living room, something he was not sure he wanted to do unless forced.

He forced himself to stop day-dreaming and to go back to his book.

* * *

The Slytherins had realised that Harry was not the sort of people able to learn from dried old books and that he needed a more hand-on approach when he led them on a merry chase in the dungeons when his boredom forced him to take matters into his own paws and try to escape, during which he had managed to correctly use three charms he had been struggling with before.

And now, the Slytherins had retired to put together a plan to teach their reluctant Gryffindor without him going catatonic, after making sure he was secure in his bed.

They were positive they could get over the problem of his short attention span, if all the house cooperated. Theodore wondered aloud if they should perhaps ask for extra credit for tackling the task of instructing Potter.

Harry never heard as he was blissfully asleep on his eiderdown on his bed, with only the end of his tail poking from under his comforter.

* * *

Severus stalked out of the shop, this selection had been worse than the last. And not to forget gaudy.

* * *

James, startled by a knock on his door, looked up from the paper he was folding with expertise. He was hoping that the person knocking wasn't there to take his wand. He tried to use it the fewer he could to avoid reminding the Lestranges that he still had it.

"Enter," he finally called. He had to let the person in if he was ever to learn what he wanted.

Rabastan opened the door, slithered in before closing and locking it. He then cast anti-spying charms, animagus repelling wards, as well as a muffling charm on the door.

James watched him for a few seconds before shrugging and going back to finish his giraffe.

He protested when Rabastan grabbed the giraffe he had just put down on the table to inspect it.

He froze when, looking him in the eyes, Rabastan told him "Potter, we need to talk."

* * *

Severus was fuming. Not only didn't they have anything suitable, but the saleswitch that had tried to flirt with him had refused to understand that he was not interested at first. When she finally got the hint, she had insulted him in a voluble Italian before attempting to throw him out of the shop.

Severus had to hex the shrew. She would now spend the next month being very polite and courteous to everybody she encountered, all the while sharing her thoughts on the people she met with everybody in the vicinity.

"You'd better appreciate what I'm going through for you." He muttered before apparating out of Italy. He pondered going further abroad but finally settled on making one last stop.

Concentrating on his destination, Severus apparated to a place he had often gone to, to collect some ingredients, some natives to this place, while others, he was ready to swear, were the freshest he had ever used. He remembered seeing a little jewellery shop in the village once.

Materialising at his destination, he walked to the shop. He pushed open the door and was welcomed by a young woman.

"Croeso i ein siop, welcome in our shop. How can I help you?"

Severus was opening his mouth to answer when the young woman jumped slightly with a pained cry. Looking to the side, Severus saw an old woman, dressed in the old costume of Wales, consisting of a black long robe called 'betgwn' worn over a purple petticoat peaking from under the robe's hem. The embroideries of her apron were done in a purple colour scheme in counterpoint, contrasting nicely with the black dress.

Severus arched an eyebrow when he noticed the walking stick she was hitting the young woman's ankles with.

"Ewch i ffwrdd, rwy'n y cwsmer."

The young woman tried to protest. "Mam gu!"

The answer was terse. "Mynd i ffwrdd!"

Shaking her head, and with a slight smile of excuse to Severus, the young woman went back to the counter and her previously abandoned book.

Severus thanked his mother for her lessons in Gaelic, lessons she had insisted he took, else he would have had to cast a translating spell or worse, ask for help. He went back to the woman when she asked him "Syr, beth gallaf ei wreud i chi?"

"Hoffwn eich dynion breichledau." Severus' answer, and his use of fluent Gaelic, earned him a relieved glance from the young woman at the counter, as she had kept an ear open to be able to help if the need ever arose.

The old woman, leaning heavily on her walking stick, guided him to a row of shelves. Fishing a key from her apron's pocket, she used it to open the glass doors guarding small trays.

"Dyma yw ein madelau gwrywaidd."

She put the tray on a small trolley, which was nearby for this purpose, and pushed it under a small window to take advantage of the daylight. She walked a little bit away to let Severus peruse the items in privacy.

Severus took his time to peruse the selection. There were one or two models that piqued his interest.

"L oedi," he picked the bracelet whose form he preferred, "a allaf newid y model llosgi?"

The old woman walked nearer to get a better look and smiled briefly. "Ond yn amlwg, syr, yr Engrafiad na hynny?" she proposed, pointing to his second choice.

Severus frowned slightly. "Nid wyf yn gwybod… Gaf i ddod â fy Gemau eich bod yn y breichled yn eu lle ohonynt?"

"Cwrs!"

"Allwch chi Crimp darlun fel hyn?" he asked, giving the woman a piece of parchment on which he had drawn two stones, shaped as water drops turning around each other in the middle of a Celtic knot.

The woman smiled again. "Eich llygaid yn siwr. Eifod yn ddewis da iawn."

Severus hesitated a bit before asking his next question. It made the saleswoman laugh. "Ar gyfer y ddau? Mae'n hâr."

Severus nodded.

"Bydd yn four hundred pounds cyfanswm o. Neu bedair eighty galleons os ydych yn dymuno."

Severus nodded and retrieved his money bag, thankful that he had had the foresight to go to Gringott's before starting his shopping.

Once he had paid at the counter, the old witch put the two models, his design with all the indications, and the two stones he had chosen, an opal and a cat's eye on the counter. The young witch then gave him a card of the shop on which she had, on the old woman's indications, scrawled a date. "Bydd eich archeb yn barod mewn pythefnos."

Severus nodded and pocketed the card. He was on his way out to leave when the old woman, who had gone to lock the other bracelets back up called after him mischievously "Fy holl dymuniadan hapusrwydd i chi eich cariad Eta!"

Severus ducked his head to hide his small blush and hastened his steps.

* * *

Ron Weasley was bored. Since Harry had been moved to the Slytherin dormitories, he had nobody to play chess with him. Nobody to fend Hermione's 'do-your-homework-now' ploys. Nobody to snicker with or comment in the evening over what had happened during the day. Nobody to plan pranks on Malfoy or to grouse on the Greasy Git's last massive points deduction or unwarranted detentions with.

It was enough to make Ron sometime regret he had focussed so much on his friendship with Harry, to the side effect of Seamus, Dean and Neville being only acquaintances. With a sigh, he went back to stare at his charms essay.

Hermione loved studying, and she did that, a lot. She was currently ensconced in a big volume on arithmancy. She sighed with ease when, because of Harry's absence, she didn't have to block his and Ron's incessant whining about having to do homework, or complaining about detentions, or how much of a git professor Snape's been that day.

Of course she was sorry for what happened to Harry, and happy that he had his father back, even if said father was as big a trouble magnet as Harry was.

She knew that the Slytherins, although cold bastards in her opinion, even them would not want to face the consequences of breaking the oath they had taken on the honour of their House. Not unless they wished Hogwarts to become a three Houses school.

Now, if only Harry would stay put… But perhaps the Slytherins were what he needed to be controlled? After all, they were cunning enough.

With a free mind, Hermione went back to her studying. She closed her current book and, without looking, selected the next one.

She disappeared in a flash of light and with an aborted scream. The book's pages turned on their own to show a mini-Hermione wandering the pages. Hermione Jane Granger had been entomed.

Neville was the first to reach the book, cautiously touching it, first with his wand and then with his finger. Once sure that what had happened to Hermione would not affect him, and keeping the page where Hermione appeared with his index, he closed the book to read the title.

"Another bookworm bites the book, by"… he started to laugh wildly. "by…by" he stuttered with laughter, "by the Marauders!" he finished squeakily before dissolving into laughter once again.

The Gryffindors present in the common room began to join him in laughter.

Ron grabbed the book from Neville's lax hand and flipped the pages until he found a fuming Hermione. "Don't worry Hermione, I'm taking you to McGonnagall, she'll have you back to normal in no time."

And then the book began to sing.

_Oh! Let's go!_

_You walk warily down the street_

_With arms laden down low_

_Ain't no sound but the sound of your feet_

_Printers ready to go_

_Are you ready, hey, are you ready for this?_

_Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?_

_Out of the doorway the books rip_

_To the sound of the beat, yeah_

_Another bookworm bites the book_

_Another bookworm bites the book_

_And another one gone, and another one gone_

_Another bookworm bites the book_

_Hey, I'm gonna get you too_

_Another bookworm bites the book_

_How do you think I'm going to get along_

_Without you when you're gone_

_You refused to let me copy_

_And kicked me out on my own_

_Are you happy, are you satisfied?_

_How long can you stand the heat_

_Out of the doorway the books rip_

_To the sound of the beat, look out_

_Another bookworm bites the book_

_Another bookworm bites the book_

_And another one gone, and another one gone_

_Another bookworm bites the book_

_Hey, I'm gonna get you too_

_Another bookworm bites the book…_

At the end of the song, the book emitted another flash of light and released a miffed Hermione. She humpfed and, floating the book behind her, left in search of her Head of House.

* * *

James Potter was nervous. And only because he couldn't let himself be terrified. Rabastan Lestrange had come to see him two days ago to tell him that the Dark Lord had granted them their demand of an audience, and that he was impatient to meet 'Louis'. Which would be the next time he called for an inner-circle meeting.

Since then, a whole arch population had joined the giraffe, with the pieces of information he had been able to uncover carefully written and hidden in the paper folds.

He had braved Bellatrix one evening, asking her that it be sent to the 'scowling man' as a sort of olive branch.

Bellatrix had pinched his cheek and readily agreed, as she seemed to have fixated on him as a sort of son, maybe lover, which was frightening in itself.

And then ,they had surprised James with their idea of a present. They told him that they had sent Severus an owl, requesting his presence at their dinner, and that he had agreed.

Which was why James was now hiding in the shadows of the railing of the stairs, kneeling to peek at the entrance hall un-noticed.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Rabastan suddenly whispered in his ear "Beware, Potter, one could mistake you for a Slytherin if one knew you were so good at spying."

The retort he was about to make was lost in the noise of a portkey activating. Severus Snape had arrived in all his scowling glory.

James bit his lips while considering his situation. He knew that Severus' reaction to his decision would not be good, and that scared him more than he liked to think.

His eyes left the Potions Master's face as he was greeted by both Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange.

He winced. "Uh oh… He's icing mad." He muttered under his breath.

Rabastan, who hadn't left his side, heard him. He arched an eyebrow. "Don't you mean fiery mad?"

James shook his head slightly, to try and avoid attracting the attention of the three people standing in the entrance downstairs to his position. "With most people, yeah. But not with him. When enraged, people explode like a volcano. With him, it's just that the volcano is buried under an ice field. When he explodes, you first get shredded by the icicles. And then you're toast."

When Rabastan had regained enough sense to turn and stare at James to try and see if he was serious, he noticed that James had already disappeared. He frowned when his brother, sister in law and guest in tow reached the landing he was on. "Sneaky Slytherin should-have-been…" he muttered before rising to his feet to meet them.

"Looking for dust bunny spies, brother?" Bellatrix asked, already jumping a little in place at the idea of the humiliation she was sure would follow.

She was cut off by a resounding shout of "Scowling man!" and James showing his Gryffindor side by first hugging Severus tight and then babbling non-stop to the three Slytherins.

He latched on a souring Severus' arm and dragged him towards his room, under protest. Bellatrix began to cackle wildly and followed them, her smirking husband following her. With luck, they would be able to witness the Potions Master's embarrassment, gaining blackmail on their Death Eater colleague.

Rabastan sighed and followed them slowly. If that was typical Gryffindor behaviour, he had made the right decision. Gryffindors shouldn't be allowed to make any sort of decision without referring to a Slytherin first.

He joined the others as James was showing Severus the origami animals he had made, explaining that they were a gift to thank Severus and to make up for all the inconveniences he had experimented since his arrival in his room.

Severus turned to James and crossed his arms on his chest before looking down his nose at the babbling Gryffindor. "Bribery will get you nowhere. You played truant, and now you have to pay the price. I think another week will do."

James goggled at him before smirking and copying Severus' pose, his eyes alight with amusement. "How about you forget the additional detention, and I won't explain why I was in detention at first?" He stared into Severus' eyes, the sides of his mouth curling up.

Severus shook his head slightly, sighing deeply. "Only because I don't want to be burdened by your company more than I have to."

Bellarix squealed and rushed to hug James. "I'm so proud of you! Blackmailing your way out of detention like that!" She pinched his cheek before he could resist. "Let's get to dinner." She put her arm under James' and dragged him out of the room and to he dining room, the three others trailing behind.

Dinner was a strange affair, with Bellatrix gushing about 'Louis', and explaining how she would make a good Death Eater out of him. Each time she breached the subject, Rodolphus would covertly glare at James. He was clearly beginning to resent his wife's interest in 'Louis'.

Rabastan and Severus were mostly silent, looking between the three other participants and exchanging looks. At the end of the meal, Severus curtly excused himself before grabbing 'Louis' by the arm and dragging him out of the room. He released him once they reached James' room. He leaned into the corridor and cast a ward before going back into the room and closing the door. He growled "Of all the inconsiderate things to do!"

Refusing to add more, less he add something he would regret, Severus fished into his pocket. He suddenly grabbed James' left hand with his. Surprised, James let him. He startled when he felt Severus slide a ring on his fourth finger.

Staring at his hand, James felt his words escape him. The ring was a claddagh, with the point of the heart turned towards James. He lift his hand and blinked a tear away.

Stepping closer to Severus, he tangled his fist in the heavy material of Severus' robes. "You're sure?" he murmured. "**You** would trust **me**? With your reputation? Your name? Your life?" he finished, shaking slightly.

Severus lifted James' face when it became clear that he was refusing to meet his eyes. "What is the problem?"

James mouthed "Cover story?"

Severus smirked. "How would I know? You obliviated me. I'm still fighting it."

James laughed a little and embraced him, putting his head on the taller man's shoulder. "Alright, when?"

"It will be possible in two weeks, if there are some preparations you wish to make."

"Just something I want to retrieve in Gringotts."

Severus winced. "Won't that mean broadcasting your return?"

"Not at all. It was my mother's vault, opened under her maiden's name. Which is the one I'll use, by the way. Besides, it is key-less, as it is protected by blood wards. I will only have to bleed a little. But the drawback is that I can't send an emissary with a vial of blood, the blood has to be fresh, which means that I have to go myself."

Severus sighed. "Alright. Write me an introduction, I'll go and ask the Goblins for a portkey for you. I don't trust you with floo and apparating could be traced, which could lead to an enquiry and embarrassing questions being asked if some traces of your magical signature were found."

James lift his head. "Kiss, now?"

Severus relented, not that he had needed a lot of persuasion, and they get reacquainted with each other's mouth for the next minutes.

Once they separated, James sighed happily before returning his head to its previous position, which gave them a good excuse to keep their discussion private.

"We have a few things to discuss." Severus reminded him sternly.

James gloomily agreed. "I have two problems on my end, but I might be able to solve them both quickly."

Severus hummed, encouraging James to elaborate.

"The Lestrange brothers. The eldest, Rodolphus, right? He seemed alright with my presence at first, even when his wife began to flirt with me in front of him. He even told me that he was okay with it, as long as he could do the same. Everything went well until tonight dinner, when Bellatrix started gushing about making me a good Death Eater. Then he started glaring."

"And?" Severus prompted him.

"I think he's jealous. Not of the possibility of his wife getting a lover, but of her doing Death Eater things with someone other than him. Am I wrong?"

Severus considered James' assumption for a while, recalling all he had learned about the Lestrange spouses through the years. "They sure are partnered often. Yes, it might be that."

"I'll try to clear the air with him. I'll keep you updated. The second problem is the youngest Lestrange. He knows who I am."

Severus blinked and, putting his hands on James' shoulders, pushed him away just enough to look into his eyes. "How?"

James chuckled. "Since he saw the five years old me in the mirror, he recognised the Potter hair. He began to hint about it when we were walking in the Forbidden Forest to clear Hogwarts' wards to apparate here.

And the other day he accosted me in this room after putting up all the secrecy wards he could think off. He's apparently had a change of heart on the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters and wants out. I personally think that he doesn't want to end in Azkaban again, or be tortured or killed for sneezing during a meeting, so he's covering his bases in case the Light wins."

"Do you believe him? Why did he go to you?"

James shrugged. "I believe him to be as genuine as he can be. He even promised to help me when he is able to. But I'm not sure I trust him to 'protect me with his life' as the saying goes. He'll help me only if it doesn't endanger him, I think. As to why he went to me? I think he doesn't want the ministry to know about his role, so that he can disappear as soon as everything is done, without the ministry trying to make an example of a reconversion out of him. Ouch, my head hurts, I'm not used to thinking so much, kiss it better?"

Severus rolled his eyes before complying and pecking James on the forehead. He cut James from complaining. "That's all you're going to get until you explain to me what made you think it would be a good idea to try your hand at spying. On the Dark Lord, no less!"

"Three things. One, I'm coming bearing gifts." James tugged on a leather strap around his neck. He put the square little thing that appeared on his palm to show it to his Potions Master.

Severus leant a little to examine the miniscule painting James was showing him. His eyes widened as he recognised the subject. He nodded and James hid the painting back under his shirt.

"Two. He's been looking for me. I'm only being polite in paying him a visit. I am, after all, both the Dagon and the Deoghail."

Severus smirked and nodded.

"And three. My mother really had a brother named Louis. He disappeared when I was one month old approximately. What isn't publicly known is that he is agoraphobic, and living in the Canadian wilderness with only the company of a pack of Siberian huskies, an old native and his granddaughter. So, even if they made some research, I'm covered."

James stopped for a while, embracing his Potions Master and nuzzling in his neck. Neither said anything for a while, just content to bask in the other's presence.

"About the arch" James murmured against Severus' neck, smiling when he felt Severus beginning to tense. "When you are back, hold each animal in one hand, point your wand at it and say "Défaire." It will unfold and you'll be able to read all the information I've been able to uncover. Do the same and say "Refaire" to put it back into its animal form."

Severus chuckled. "You and those origami. I unearthed the fish you gave me all those years back, you know."

James hugged him tightly.

Severus' ears picked footsteps coming their way, as well as the wards going down. He hugged James back just as the door opened. "Next time you obliviate me, I'll force a lust potion down your throat and portkey you naked into a room full of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs fifth to seven years."

James gasped. "You wouldn't dare! After all the stories you've told me about the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs…."

The interloper chuckled.

Both Severus and James acted surprised and separated quickly before turning to confront a smirking Rabastan. "Smooth, guys, really smooth. You think I didn't notice passing through wards? Well, isn't that interesting? Oh, stop glaring at me, Severus, I have no plans to make a move on your wizard."

James stuck his tongue out at him. "Mature, Louis, really mature." Rabastan rolled his eyes.

James smirked. "Takes one to know one, hmm? Where's your brother, there's something I have to ask him."

"He's in the library, brooding about something. Bellatrix is in the living room, she's passing her nerves on some rats, since Rodolphus refused to go with her or to let her go acquire some Muggles to torture."

James frowned at him. "And you want us to believe you didn't want anything to do with this occasion to torture and murder Muggles?"

A veil of sadness passed on Rabastan's eyes. "Torture for the sake of torture is not something I'm found of. Especially when it is done to people you know won't be able to defend themselves. It's… tasteless." He sighed deeply and ran his hands through his hair. "I can't seem to find the right words…" He shook his head and tried to explain more. "Don't mistake me, I'm all for keeping our world as pure as it can get, and keeping the Purebloods privileged, not only because I'm part of this group, but also because our ancestors were magical, and that they refined their gifts, worked more on certain areas of magic, which is why certain families produce lines of…"

"Potions Masters?" James quipped in reference to Severus' ancestors on his mother's side. Severus rolled his eyes.

"Exactly." Rabastan agreed. "Because they've been immersed in those peculiar fields of magic all their life, it's easiest for them to learn about it."

"And they're motivated by the want to do as well if not better than their parents to please them." James said, nodding, he understood perfectly. He grimaced slightly as a thought occurred to him, wrinkling his nose. "But the actual Pureblooods… They're…"

"Twisted? Lazy? Thinking everything is due to them without them having to lift a finger? All of the above?" Rabastan questioned self-deprecatingly. "It's how we were raised, not to be proud of what we have, well, that too, but more of being envious of what our family once had, like leadership, power and that our ancestors squandered away… And then seeing the Halfbloods and Muggleborns getting what should, in their mentality, have been theirs, is enough to get some Purebloods to lean towards the Dark arts."

"Facility and education, or lack thereof, against hard work." Severus interjected. "But having facilities doesn't mean that you will succeed without some work."

James shrugged. "Well, it's human nature. It's all about self-preservation, putting every chances on your side, etc. And that is why there is a good and bad side in everybody, be they Pure, Half or Muggle blooded. The trick is to not give in to temptation. And I can recognise it's tricky."

Rabastan shook his head. "How did we end up on this subject?"

James chuckled. "Your fault, actually."

Rabastan rolled his eyes. "Before we took this detour into human nature, I was going to tell you that even if I agreed with some of the ideology, like preserving our traditions, because they are our link to the past and History, I didn't join to torture defenceless people. In fact, a great part of why I joined was because it was expected of me. And to save myself a lot of pain and grief from my brother and his wife."

"But…" James started hesitantly. "I thought you were arrested… The Longbottoms…"

Rabastan grew serious. "I could take the easy road and claim to have avoided torturing as much as I could, to have done it only enough to protect the image of a good Death Eater, and isn't that an oxymoron, but… sometimes, hurting people is a good way to dampen your fears and feelings of inadequacy, to vent your frustrations and anger, to get revenge against perceived slight….while you're doing it. But after, when you seat in the peace of your house, there is nothing to reduce the guilt, to silence the screaming. And then, you've got two choices. Either you try to atone, or you sink deeper and deeper into violence, each time needing a larger dose to quieten the screams, both of your victims and of your conscience. Who do you think alerted the Aurors? The Longbottoms didn't have wards that, when tripped, would sent a signal to the Aurors and alert them."

James tilted his head. "You wanted to be arrested?"

"Yes. We all more than deserved it. But to answer your question, no, I didn't take part in the torturing of the Longbottoms, but I let it happen."

Seeing Severus staring in shrewd calculation at Rabastan, James decided he needed to step out for a while.

"Okay, you two play nice, I've got a Lestrange to find."

As soon as James had closed the door, Severus smirked at Rabastan and showed him a vial of Veritaserum.

Rabastan accepted to take it, but only on the condition that Severus, if satisfied by his interrogation, kept the knowledge of his implication to himself.

"But what about the aftermath? Don't you want someone to vouch for you?"

"I'm not sure I want to be alive after all is done. But then, all I will be able to do is keep an eye on 'Louis'."

Severus snorted. "You will need more than an eye for that I'm afraid."

"True. But I'm only in the inner circle because of Bellatrix and Rodolphus. So I would be useless as a spy."

Severus frowned. "Are you still suffering from the after effects of Azkaban?"

"Maybe. But it's not like I could get help. Don't worry, I'm perfectly able to keep him safe."

"And getting yourself killed in the process. I'm not sure…"

"Don't worry, I'm–"

"You're depressed! You **want **to die!"

"Maybe. And maybe I need a reason to live. Please?"

"If I agree to it, you're getting help. I don't want him to be in more danger, because you got yourself killed and can't protect him!"

"Alright. Give me the Veritaserum."

Severus started with the control questions, such as Rabastan's name, age and occupation. And then came the tricky questions.

"Why did you propose to protect him?"

Rabastan answered promptly. "Atonement."

"Then you need to live. Considering the number of victims you have to atone for, I'm afraid you won't have enough of one lifetime. It's him we're speaking about though. I'm sure you'll have more than enough occasions to atone… Do you know Occlumency?"

"No."

"Great." Severus mumbled. "Somehow, I have an hunch he will end being the one protecting you after putting the two of you in danger." Louder, he asked "Will you seek help?"

"Yes."

"As much as it displease me, I suggest talking with Black and Lupin. You will let Poppy examine you. But we will keep your identity from them, if that is what you want. And we will keep you out of the Ministry as much as we can."

"Thank you."

"Can you swear that you will do your utmost possible not to betray us?"

"I do."

Satisfied, Severus gave him the antidote and dissolved the wards he had put up before starting to be warned in case somebody decided to try and eavesdrop. "Let's go rescue your brother before he ends more insane than he is."

Rabastan nodded and followed Severus out of the room.

* * *

While Severus was getting precisions about Rabastan's motivations, James was nearing the library, and therefore his own conversation with a Lestrange.

He stopped before entering the library to compose himself and decide on a strategy. He opened the door and scanned the room to find his prey.

He strode to the desk a gloomy Rodolphus was occupying and slapped his hands on it. "Alright, what is your problem?"

He didn't let Rodolphus sneer deter him. "When I arrived here, you seemed agreeable to my presence. And suddenly at dinner, you were all….glare-y."

Rodolphus opened his mouth to protest but 'Louis' held his hand up to stop him. "I'm not done. Everything was alright until your wife mentioned making a cannibal out of me, something I'm not sure I agree with, by the way…"

He trailed off when Rodolphus burst into laughter. "Not a cannibal, a Death Eater."

"And the difference is? Care to explain to a poor glass worker?"

"The Death Eater is a political group we are all part of…"

"All?"

"Yes. Bellarix and I, my brother, even Severus."

"Severus, too?"

"Yes. The person who wants to meet you is our leader."

'Louis' wrinkled his nose before admitting. "I don't understand much about politics."

"Don't worry, our Lord will explain."

"I'd rather ask Severus, if you don't mind. I trust him."

Rodolphus arched an eyebrow. "You know Severus?"

'Louis' nodded. "I met him in the summer of… Well, it was seven years ago, we were fifteen, so it was in 1975. My mother and I had gone to London for an exposition on the history of glass. They even had a model of the crystal palace!" he gushed, remembering the model he had spent what felt like hours looking at from every angle.

"I finally went into the next room, where they had all those vials, for tobacco and perfume, and there he was.

I bumped into him while trying to better see a detail on one of the vials and we started a conversation. We had common ground, so it was easy to become friends. We met every holiday and wrote each other." 'Louis' forced himself to blush a little by remembering one of their more passionate nights. He sighed and added "We were very near once, but I had to break it up, my brother in law had seen us together. He was threatening his wife –my sister– and their one month old son if I didn't break things up. He couldn't bear to have a member of his family, even an in-law, being attracted to a man. Not virile enough, I think.

I obliviated Severus so that he wouldn't hurt. A few days later, I found myself trapped in the mirror. I still can't believe fifteen years passed…" He sighed and grabbed his braid to toy with it nervously. "He knows there's an obliviate on him. And he told me that he was going to have a medi-witch break the obliviate. He must be so angry with me, but I still trust him."

"Nice ring, by the way." Rodolphus remarked.

'Louis' nodded. "He gave it to me on the day we were spied on by my brother in law. Don't tell him, please, I don't want him to take it back before I've had a chance of setting things right."

'Louis' observed Rodolphus' eyes while chanting in his head 'Come on, take the bait, come on! You know you love having blackmail material on your fellow Death Eaters, come on!'

After a few minutes of contemplation, Rodolphus nodded and changed the subject. "You said you were a glass worker?"

"Yes, all my family has been glass workers since the 15th century. We were amongst the first to work with crystal once it was invented in the 17th century…"

"Alright, alright. I must admit that a Potions Master and a glass worker makes an efficient couple. Wait a minute… Your name is de Dagonville, right? Any relation to the Dagon?"

'Louis' nodded. "My parents."

Both turned around towards the door when it banged open. 'Louis' hid his hands behind his back when Severus and Rabastan barged in the library. Though, before any of them could start a conversation, the Death Eaters winced when the marks on their left forearms burned.

Rodolphus grabbed 'Louis' shoulder. "You're coming with me." He warned him before apparating them to Riddle Mansion.

Severus and Rabastan exchanged a glance before following. Once they arrived, 'Louis' migrated to Severus' vicinity.

Both Lestranges and Severus fished their robes and masks from their pockets and donned them. They waved Wormtail over and instructed him to keep 'Louis' company before he was called in to see the Dark Lord.

Severus dawdled for a while in order to see if Wormtail would recognise 'Louis'. Seeing nothing of the sort, Severus went to grovel at the feet of his Dark Master.

Once inside, Severus noticed that the only Death Eaters present were the ones part of the Inner circle. As the last Death Eater went back to his place, the Dark Lord started the meeting. "Reports. McAffee?"

The selected Death Eater went to kneel in the middle of the circle to give his report. "We retrieved the book you wanted, my Lord. We even captured four Muggles who tried to interfere. They are locked in the cellar."

The Dark Lord cackled gleefully. "Go with Macnair and retrieve them. Since you brought them in, both you and Macnair will be authorised to play with them. Let's enjoy a spot of torture, my Death Eaters."

The four terrorised Muggles were soon thrown on the floor in front of the Dark Lord. He pulled his hood down, enjoying the Muggles' terrorised screams. "You ran out of luck, Muggleworms. Macnair, McAffee, amuse yourselves."

Both grinned, Macnair resizing his axe. The Muggles began to plead for their lives.

Severus rolled his eyes and stared anywhere but at the butchery taking place in the middle of the circle. He had always disapproved of Macnair's lack of precision. As soon as every body part had been disposed of and most of the blood had been hastily vanished or wiped, the reports started again.

And then it was Rodolphus' turn. "I brought your guest as you required, my Lord. He is part of the Dagon family. He is waiting outside with Wormtail."

"Well done. Have you spoken with him?"

Rodolphus chuckled. "Yes. He believed Death Eaters were cannibals and profess not to 'understand much' about politics.

"But if Severus is willing to make an effort, he would easily be pulled to our side. He trusts him."

"And why is that, Severus?"

"They were in a relationship…"

"Crucio! I wasn't asking you!" the Dark Lord interrupted, watching gleefully as Rodolphus' body tensed and started to spam with pain.

"Obliviate!" Rodolphus managed to spat with a mouthful of blood. The Dark Lord lift the curse. "And why would Severus be obliviated?"

"Because of Louis' brother-in-law. He saw them once together and forced them apart, with threats on his sister and one month old nephew. And perhaps on Severus himself, he wouldn't say."

"And what was the name of this brother-in-law?"

"He didn't say. I thought that perhaps we could ask him and Severus could confirm, once the obliviation had been lift."

Rabastan stepped in. "I can break it, if you want."

"Do it." The Dark Lord ordered.

Rabastan nodded and brought Severus a little bit apart from the others. He then faced Severus and hold his wand against Severus' temple, muttering, too low for the others to hear, two verses of a children lullaby.

Severus rolled his eyes, but obediently grabbed his head and fall on his knees. He rocked a little on his knees before letting go of his head and standing up abruptly before rejoining the circle, head hanged low.

"So Severus, what was the name of this intolerant in-law?"

Severus winced. 'Great, thank you, Louis. At least he found a way to let me know.'

"I'm waiting, Severus."

"Potter, it was Potter."

"But Potter's mudblood wife's name was Evans."

"Apparently not. But why was she posing as a Mudblood named Evans?"

"I think we will have to ask him."

The Dark Lord turned to the assembled Death Eaters. "Line up against the wall. We wouldn't want our guest to feel closed in, now, would we?"

The Death Eaters scrambled to obey while the Dark Lord pulled his hood up. "Rabastan, go fetch our guest."

Rabastan nodded and crossed the floor to the doors. He threw them open and blinked when he saw Louis, seated cross legged on the floor in front of Wormtail, put five cards on the floor. "Full. I win."

He cleared his throat. "What are you doing? Or don't I want to know?"

"Relax, we're only playing poker. By the way, can you believe that his name is Wormtail? What sort of parents would name their child that?"

Rabastan blinked and corrected "Wormtail is a nickname, Louis. Come with me, you're going to meet our Lord."

Louis nodded and got to his feet. "Thank you for the game, Wormtail." He followed Rabastan inside, Wormtail slipping inside on their heels.

Rabastan blinked, surprised, when he arrived in front of the Dark Lord and Wormtail passed him to join the other Death Eaters against the wall. He turned, confused as to where Louis was, until he finally spied him a few feet away, bouncing hesitantly on his feet in front of a large puddle of blood, which had assembled in a depression on the floor.

"Louis!" he exclaimed in a loud hiss. "What are you doing? Come here!"

"But…" 'Louis' clutched his borrowed robes, hitching them up just enough to show his borrowed shoes and trousers.

Severus sighed loudly and wiped his wand out, before any of the Death Eaters, or worse, the Dark Lord, decided to intervene. "Wingardium Leviosa." He casted, floating a smiling Louis over the blood. "As soon as you're done here, you're going shopping for your own clothes. No more borrowing of mine."

'Louis' nodded, pouting. It was clear what **he** thought about borrowing Severus' clothes. He walked a few steps more before stopping and squirming.

"What now?" Severus brusquely enquired.

'Louis' bit his lower lip as he joined him and Rabastan before tugging on the leather strip around his neck.

Once the painting was visible, he separated it from the leather strap. "Excuse me for a moment." He addressed the Dark Lord and focussed on what could now be identified as a painting as it was rapidly growing. Once the portrait was resized and floating in front of him, 'Louis' spoke to it. "Would you mind stop doing that?" He sighed. "Just because I can't understand all your hisses doesn't mean I don't know you're making fun of me."

The Death Eaters and the Dark Lord stared at the wandless demonstration. So much so that 'Louis' found himself the centre of all the attention in the room.

Rabastan jumped when somebody kicked him in the shin, jerking him out of his trance. He turned to look at a frowning 'Louis'. "What is your problem? Why are they all staring at me like that?"

"Wandless magic" he answered in a breath. "Only the more powerful wizards and witches can do wandless magic." By now, everybody had turned back into the conversation.

'Louis' snorted. "Hardly. Tell me, if everybody told you that only the more powerful wizards and witches can breathe, would you suffocate yourself? Every wizard or witch with a reasonable level of magic can do it. Sure, it's long and arduous, but doable if you're hard-headed enough, because the results are few and slow in coming. Up until now, I can't do a lot, but I only started working on it a few years ago." He pointed at the floating painting. "He's my teacher."

The man in the painting hissed, prompting the Dark Lord to answer and walk around to look at the man painted in the portrait. "Where did you find this painting?"

"In an unused corridor in our French mansion. He was in a sort of small museum, but he was the only one to wake up when I visited."

"Do you know who that man is?"

'Louis' shook his head. "He always refused to tell me his name. He agreed to teach me because he said I reminded him of somebody he knew. I'm not sure it's a good thing."

"Rodolphus and Rabastan explained your story. But there is one thing they didn't know about. Tell me, what is the name of your in-law, the one that threatened you, maybe we could do something about it."

'Louis' shrugged. "Him? His name is Potter."

"Interesting. And his wife's name?"

"My sister's name is Caroline de Dagonville."

"Strange. I thought Potter's wife's name was Evans."

"Yes, that too."

"And how is it possible to have two names? Would you care to explain?"

"Easily. Who is the Dagon?"

"I'm not a patient man, Mister…. I don't know what your name is."

"My name is Louis de Dagonville. As it is easy to make the connection between our name and the Dagon, we all go by two names. Sort of like a public alias. I didn't use my often, because I didn't leave home often. I'm not very social, so I was home schooled, but 'Line, she loved people. Our parents agreed to let her go to school on the condition that she went to Hogwarts and not Beauxbâtons, where people might make the connection. The Evans agreed to pretend being her parents."

"So, you're a glass worker?"

'Louis' nodded. "One of the best."

"And what are your intentions towards my Potions Master?"

'Louis' gulped. "Well, I can't speak for him, but I plan to mend our relationship. If he is amenable."

The Dark Lord turned to Severus. "So, Severus, are you amenable?" For Severus, the meaning was clear, it was 'you'd better be amenable, so I can have the Dagon on hand. Or else.'

Severus found the irony of the situation appealing. "I can have the bracelets ready in two weeks."

"Very good, Severus. Have fun. Oh, and I think I'll keep this painting for a while, you can visit every time I call on Severus."

"As long as he agrees and you don't destroy him, it's alright."

"My Lord, where should Louis stay? I'm not sure bringing him to Hogwarts would be wise."

"He will stay with the Lestranges. Dismissed."

Everybody, minus 'Louis', bowed deeply before apparating away, Rodolphus taking 'Louis' with him once again.

Voldemort began a hissing conversation with the painted form of his ancestor.

* * *

In Hogwarts, Harry woke up with a start. He couldn't decide if he was happy for his father or disgusted because, really, who want to know about his parents' sex lives? And, moreover, it was Snape! The Greasy Git, the Dungeons Bat! What a way to learn about your father's impending nuptials! And with the Dark Lord's benediction… What was the world coming to?

Harry shrugged and slipped in Draco's bed without waking him. He didn't plan to sleep in his own bed, in case the bed was somehow cursed to induce nightmares and that his dream was not a Voldemort induced vision.

* * *

Translation from Gaelic:

Croeso i ein siop : welcome in our shop

Ewch i ffwrdd, rwy'n y cwsmer: Leave, I will take care of this customer

Mam gu: grandmother

Mynd i ffwrdd: go away

Syr, beth gallaf ei wreud i chi: Sir, what can I do for you

Hoffwn eich dynion breichledau: I'd like to see your bracelets for males

Dyma yw ein madelau gwrywaidd: Here are our bracelets for males

L oedi: I'm hesitating

A allaf newid y model llosgi: can we change the engraving of this model

Ond yn amlwg, syr, yr Engrafiad na hynny: but of course, sir, the same engraving as this one?

Nid wyf yn gwybod… Gaf i ddod â fy Gemau eich bod yn y breichled yn eu lle ohonynt: I don't know…Can I bring my jewel so you can set them in the stead of those ones

Cwrs: of course

Allwch chi Crimp darlun fel hyn: can you set them like in this drawing

Eich llygaid yn siwr. Eifod yn ddewis da iawn: you have a very good eye. It is a very good choice

Ar gyfer y ddau? Mae'n hâr : the two of them? It's a pair

Bydd yn four hundred pounds cyfanswm o. Neu bedair eighty galleons os ydych yn dymuno: It will be 400 ponds in total. Or 80 galleons, if you prefer

Bydd eich archeb yn barod mewn pythefnos: your order will be ready in two weeks

Fy holl dymuniadan hapusrwydd i chi eich cariad Eta: I wish you and your fiancé all the happiness


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer : I do absolutely not own Harry Potter and co. I merely borrowed them.

For once, even the plot bunny isn't mine, I adopted it from bleedingstargoddess.

Warnings : AU, people out of character all over the place... And strange sentences since I'm French.

Some Harry/Lucius interaction…. And an explanation for Lucius' absence from the Death Eaters' last reunion.

And, yeah, I know that it was not Gaelic but Welsh in the last chapter. I don't know why, but I put Gaelic instead of Welsh every time…. That is what you got when you try to type between two requests for coffee, I think…Anyways, thank you to But and Siobhan for taking the time to tell me about it in their reviews.

I tried a different thing with the translations, that is to know I put them after the word, like Crimsonphoenix271 suggested in a review. Tell me if it's all right.

Oh, and I am in no ways a physics specialist. So, if my theory of entropy is wrong, feel free to tell me.

Beta : Yep! Please, welcome LoveBird17! I'm sorry for the long wait, I was being lazy…

Still here? On with the show!

Aguamenti frigida. A spell to project cold water on a target

Chapter 16 – I. Do. Not. Shriek. Like. A. Bloody. Girl!

The Slytherin dorms were awakened by an unearthly shriek the next morning. It rose until attaining a frequency and shrill note the more musically inclined students would have thought – before this fateful morning call – could not be attained, ever, even with magic.

After rushing out of their warm beds to carefully check that their common room had not been invaded by an army of banshees that one of the students from another House had let in as a prank, the upper years prudently huddled around the lower ones. They kept as far away as possible from Draco Malfoy's door, where a somewhat muted shrieking still emerged.

The upper years were conferring, weighing their options. They could either delegate one of their prefects, it was, after all, their responsibility, to go wake their Head of House, explain the situation to him, and let him deal with everything. They were even willing to have points being deducted and to have to deal with an increase of their daily dose of snarking. Curiously, neither prefect felt up to the task.

Or they could do nothing, cast protection wards and silencing charms on their dorms rooms before going to hole back there to try and catch some more sleep, coming back only when the danger had passed or when somebody came looking for them, whichever came first.

As their debating became more heated, nearly all of them jumped out of their skins when sudden crashing sounds came from behind the closed door of their unofficial leader, interspaced with unintelligible screaming.

They all turned to the door, half fascinated and half dreading what might happen should the door open. As luck would have it, they were just in time to witness a black blur erupting through the closed door and speeding towards them.

After much shrieking of their own and stampeding to get out of the way, the Slytherins gradually calmed down when they noticed that nobody had been hurt and began to look around for clues as to what that black blur had been and where it had gone.

All eyes turned back to Draco's door as it opened, banging against the wall, showing an enraged and dishevelled Draco Malfoy in all his night clothing glory, which consisted of only a pair of low riding silk pyjama pants, much to the pleasure of some of his fellow students.

"Where is it?" he screamed. "Where is this Hell spitted spawn who have been sent here to make my life miserable?"

Seeing that his Housemates were only staring at him in silence, some of them gaping, others slowly blushing, he growled and advanced on them, levelling his wand at the group they were in.

He smirked as he heard some jiggling on his left. Pointing his wand towards where the sounds were emanating from, he enunciated with a lot of satisfaction "Accio Potter."

Harry ducked and dived back into the thick of the group of Slytherins, intending to hide. The only problem was that all the Slytherins, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire, jumped to the side. Harry had some luck in his misfortune, though, because not all Slytherins jumped to the same side, which, while it didn't provide him with a clear path to flee, was enough to impede Draco's aim, enough for Harry to actually flee.

After some mad scrambling as well as a few interesting acrobatics, Harry found himself clinging with all his claws' might to Vincent Crabbe's back, the Slytherin's bulk enough to hide him from view. Harry, thinking himself safe for the time being, poked his head over his perch's shoulder and stick his tongue at a fuming Draco.

"You shriek like a girl!" he taunted.

The blonde bristled before smirking evilly. He aimed his wand at both Harry, who disappeared back behind Crabbe's back, and his resigned human perch.

"Aguamenti frigida."

Harry's eyes opened wide, and he retracted his claws, dropping to the floor. But before he could move, the drenched Crabbe had stepped aside, allowing the cold water to hit Harry, making him hiss.

"Bad, bad kitty." Draco scolded the moping and miserably wet teen-cat, shaking a finger at him.

Focussed on the pandemonium occurring in the Common room, no students had noticed the dorm room opening and closing. Nor were any students loitering in the corridors close enough to see the Potions Master shake his head with a sigh or hear him grumble "I'm much too sober for this shit."

Once everybody had dispersed, Harry had dried himself up and tried to retreat to Draco's room but all his escape attempts had been thwarted by Draco, who had seated both of them on a couch, promptly putting up silencing and privacy protecting wards around them.

"So, Potter, mind telling me why you thought necessary to climb into bed with me?"

Harry only crossed his paws as best as he could across his chest, and turned his head away like a petulant child.

"Don't make me force you to speak." Draco warned him, readying his wand and drawling "agua…"

Harry's head snapped back to him, one of his paws coming to weigh on his wrist, pushing his wand down towards the couch. Harry sighed deeply and peeked at Draco from under his lashes with his best hang-kitten eyes.

"The Dark Lord cursed my bed." He mewled pitifully.

Draco, taken aback, blinked in surprise. "Would you care to elaborate on that?"

Harry pouted. "He made me see him order Snape to marry my dad!"

Both teens shivered in unison. Harry, reliving the scene from memory, realised something suddenly.

"Hey, Malfoy, where was your father last night? He didn't go to Lord Mouldy's little shebang! Not that his Mouldiness seemed to care…"

"Uh? Oh, he had warned the Dark Lord that he had some business venture to take care of out of England. He was in Italy, I think."

"What was he doing here?" Harry asked in an innocent tone of voice, hoping that Draco would keep his guard down and answer honestly.

Draco, his eyes twinkling, smirked at the nonplussed cat-boy. Who, after a few seconds of frozen immobility, jumped to hide under the sofa.

"Er, Potter?" Draco was left blinking at his, no, not friend, charge, yes, that's what Potter was, his charge's abrupt departure. He bent to look under the sofa. "What in Merlin's unwashed socks happened right now?"

Harry sheepishly extracted himself from under the sofa. "Twinkling! Dumbledore!" he babbled, his front paws waving around.

Draco grimaced at the idea of being compared to the muggle-loving fool before bursting into laughter. "No, he simply told the Dark Lord he was tracking a 15th century grimoire who supposedly belonged to the Borgia family. While he was at it, he also got a certain glass-worker we both know of a present. Because it is my mother's birthday soon, and he wants to commission something to said glass-worker. He thought that to do that, the glass-worker in question would need some equipment."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. We'd better prepare to go to class." With a wave of his wand, Draco dispelled the privacy and silencing wards. He bounded to his feet before speeding in their room. "You'd better hope that your shenanigans don't make me late to class, Potter, I still have to take my shower!"

Harry snickered at the madly rushing Slytherin before settling himself comfortably on the couch to preen his fur.

* * *

Elsewhere, Lucius, a big clinking box carefully maintained in his arms had apparated to the border of the wards surrounding the Lestrange mansion.

Once he had cleared the wards, he walked to the front door and announced himself by kicking the door repeatedly until it was opened by a snarling Bellatrix. She let her wand drop from its aim at Lucius' chest once she recognised him.

"Lucius!" She exclaimed. "You didn't come yesterday when our Lord called. Why didn't you come?" she finished mournfully.

Silently, his head held high, the Malfoy patriarch pushed past Bellatrix, mindful of the box he held. He spoke once the door had been closed behind the angry witch.

"There is no need to advertise our conversation to the whole vicinity, you can never be sure of who or what might be listening. But if you must know, I warned out Lord that I had a business venture to undergo, the buy of a grimoire belonging to the Borgia. I even brought back some pre-wedding present to our glass-worker." He explained, nodding once in the direction of the box he still held.

He winced internally as Bellatrix flashed him a feral smile at the mention of Severus' fiancé. She then squealed and clapped her hands excitedly. "They are in the left potions lab, in the dungeons. They are planning to convert it into a lab for Louis."

Lucius, following his insane guide, reflected not for the first time that Bellatrix was rapidly becoming a liability, her sudden changes of mood enough to endanger all around her, especially if they happened during a fight against Aurors.

They walked in silence until they arrived at a heavy door after a lot of stairs and corridors. Bellatrix knocked on the door, which was opened from the inside by her brother in law. She grabbed his arm and chirped "Look what the crup brought in!" before cheerfully waving a hand in Lucius' direction. She then stepped around Rabastan in the lab, going to embrace a red-faced Louis.

Rabastan followed her with his eyes before turning to Lucius, using the move to disguise his eye-roll at his sister-in-law's behaviour. "I thought you were supposed to be back yesterday in the late afternoon." He enquired.

Lucius nodded and went to put his box on the sturdy table that had been moved in the lab. He smirked a little as he spied Louis trying to fend, mostly in vain, Bellatrix's hands. "Enough of your playing, Bellatrix." He chided her. "Let the boy come and see what I brought."

Louis quickly sidled up to the table, taking care to keep Lucius between himself and Bellatrix. Lucius opened the box and began to put items out of it and on the table. With each item revealed, Louis' eyes brightened a little more, and the flush on his face turned from embarrassment to excitement. A big smile graced his lips when Lucius ended his unpacking by putting an old worn wooden box on the table right in front of Louis.

"I was assured this box belonged to the Dagon?" Lucius asked Louis, who nodded enthusiastically. His smile softened as he reached to open it, revealing four glass objects nestled in a dark purple velvet cushion. He let his fingertips glide on each of them while the Lestranges crowded around to see what was inside the box.

The first one on the left was a coiled snake, a viper if Rabastan was not mistaken. The following one was a scorpion, and the third was a spider, a realistic black widow. But it was the last one that surprised the two Lestranges. It had the body of a bee with the stinger of a scorpion.

"What is this thing?" Bellatrix wondered, her hand reaching to pluck the chimera out of its velvet nest to have a better view.

"Stop!" Lucius warned her. "I made the same mistake yesterday. The damn thing stung me and knocked me unconscious for the night."

Bellatrix drew her hand back quickly. She arched an eyebrow when Louis chuckled. "I can't believe you found them! I thought they were lost, that Potter had sold them…. 'Line and I had this sibling rivalry. We would make one of those, put some potion or other in the venom sacks of the creature so that the potion would be inoculated once the animal stung its victim, and then released the animal in the intended victim's room.

'Line put the snake in my wardrobe, between my shirts. I ended up with hair changing colours for three days.

I put the spider in the drapes of her bed. She could only speak in riddles for a week.

She put the scorpion in my shoes, I could not put my feet back on the floor no matter what I tried for two days. Floating an inch above the floor take some getting used to, you know.

She got married before I could use the waspion, so I changed the potion inside to a knock-out potion. I was planning to use it on her husband at the start of their wedding night." He pouted and picked at his borrowed pants. "Somehow she discovered my intention and confronted me. She wouldn't let me, she grabbed the box and left!" He exclaimed, frowning before swiftly picking an object from the table and walking away from the table. He walked to a precise place in the lab, putting the object carefully on the floor and resizing it. Once he had his lab arranged to his satisfaction, he turned to Lucius.

"Thank you. This is first rate equipment. Where did you get it?"

Lucius smirked. "Murano."

Louis nodded. "So, what did I do to deserve such a present? What's the price tag?"

"My wife's birthday is coming up. I'd like to commission you to make her a gift."

Louis cocked his head to the side. "What sort of gift?"

Lucius answered swiftly. "I'll leave that to your appreciation."

Louis goggled. "Hey, I may be a wizard, but I'm not a mind reader! How am I supposed to make her something she'll appreciate if I don't even know her name nor have an indication of what she likes?"

Lucius shrugged. "Narcissa is a woman, she likes what other women do."

Louis crossed his arms on his chest. "Helloooooooo!" he drawled, waving a hand in front of Lucius' face. "In case it escaped your notice, I am not a woman! And they are always complaining that men can't understand them!"

Lucius grabbed Louis's hand to stop its movement. "Well, despite my long hair, I also happened to be a man, you know."

"Ben (French interjection, to reinforce like in "ben quoi" translated as "so what"), you're the one married to her! And living with her!"

Lucius' mouth twitched as if he was fighting a pout. It was the moment Bellatrix chose to intervene by clapping her hands. "I know!" she exclaimed. "How about some knives? Or some needles? Or even…."

Wincing, Rabastan cut her off. "Firstly, Louis is not a blacksmith, but a glass-smith, if such a word exists. And secondly, I don't think Narcissa is into torture."

Bellatrix pouted mournfully. "No, she always had too weak a stomach for that." Dragging her feet, she left the potions lab turned glass working lab.

Lucius shook his head. Rabastan murmured "You won't offence me if you label her a liability."

Lucius nodded once sharply before turning to leave. He spoke over his shoulder. "Narcissa really is the typical woman. She likes clothes, perfume, and jewellery. And let's not forget that she was aptly named." He left with a last swirl of his cloak.

Louis rushed to the door and shouted at his departing back "I'll need two tons of the purest sand, the same weight of the clearest water as well as the same quantity of wood and coal."

"Understood." Lucius answered before disappearing around a bent of the corridor.

Inside of the lab, Louis retrieved some pieces of parchment and some charcoal from the table's drawer, sat at the table and began to draw.

Rabastan, who had opted to stay out of his brother and sister-in-law's attention by staying in the lab with Louis, came to look at his drawings over his shoulder. He nodded at the three first ones, but hesitated on the fourth one. "Are you sure about this one?" he asked, pointing at the drawing in question.

Louis smirked. "Yes, as a sort of a gag gift. It's the principle of the gift that keeps on giving." He explained as he pointed to a drawing a little to the right that Rabastan had missed previously.

Rabastan's answering smirk was a little snarkish. "For having met Narcissa, I'd say it is a well deserved gift. Make a list of all additional material you'll need, I'll transmit it to Lucius."

Louis nodded and began to scribble feverishly on a blank note of parchment.

* * *

Harry pouted and changed position on the couch. /I can't even twiddle my thumbs with my hands changed into paws. Stupid Draco! How much time does he need in the showers anyway?/

He wiggled a little bit more before renouncing. It looked like he would be unable to find a comfortable position any time soon.

He jumped to his paws and began to pace, muttering under his whiskers and even hissing once at the offending couch as he passed in front of it.

One of his ears swivelled in the direction of the door leading to Draco's room when it opened. Resolutely not looking in the Slytherin prince's direction as he was crossing the common room towards the dorm door, Harry slid his arm and neck in his bag's strap, stood up and strode to wait at the door.

"Oy, Potter, stop sulking!"

"Well," Blaise drawled, "You did take an awful lot of time in the shower."

Draco sniffed. "Everybody can not be ready only by primping their fur."

/Whatever./ Harry sniffed when Blaise said the password to open the door. "Let the cat out of the bag."

Harry stalked away, pesting at the password, the time Draco spent in the showers, and, more than once, about the uncomfortable couch of the Slytherin common room.

Charms and Transfigurations went more or less normally, with some Gryffindors staring at Harry and sometimes glaring when it seemed that Harry was more comfortable with the Slytherins than he seemed to be with them. Ron was a part of this group.

Hermione, meanwhile, was sneaking glances at Harry from the corners of her eyes, biting on her lips as if to physically restrain herself from speaking out loud. When the lunch time ring resonated in the corridors, Harry was out of the classroom like a cat out of Hell, unknowingly foiling Hermione's attempt at speaking with him.

All the students Harry passed on his way to the Great Hall stopped and stared at the skipping teen-cat who was mewling something at regular intervals, something they rightfully assumed to be 'food'.

Harry skidded to a halt in front of the doors before righting himself and bounding to his designated seat at the Slytherin table. He was still bouncing in place when seated. He frowned and stilled, glaring at the snickering students around the Great Hall. /Stupid Slytherin made me miss breakfast because of his primping! He's worse than I am!/

When all the students were seated, the food appeared, delighting the cat-boy. Harry and his new-found gift of inhaling all the food that happened to pass him by was the centre of attention of the Great Hall until a buzzing sound emanating from the Teachers' table made everyone turn in that direction.

It was pandemonium at once when the students and teachers caught sight of what was creating the buzzing. Somehow, somebody had given the Headmaster a delicate and transparent pair of bumblebee wings.

* * *

In Grimmauld Place's mansion, a line on a chart pinned on a board over a tapestry in the living room began to flash repeatedly while the board rattled. Their attention attracted by the noise, Remus and Sirius left their dinner on the kitchen table to check on the board.

"It seems like Snape was the first to complete the Trial."

"Well, he might still be caught."

"Sirius…." Remus' tone was a model of suffering patience.

"Yes, I know, I swore to James that I would make an effort to try and tolerate Snape, but really, Prongs has no taste in men…"

Remus, who had absolutely no want to discuss James' bad or good taste in men, cut him. "Anyway, let's owl Harry. I want details."

* * *

At Hogwarts, the Headmaster was standing in front of his seat and clapping his hands. "Well done, well done! Congratulations to our prankster, who will have detention for a month if he or she comes forward and admit responsibility. If nobody has come forward in a week, I will be forced to resort to collective punishment.

If nobody has come forward in one week, I will revoke the Seventh years Hogsmead privilege. A week after that, it will be the Sixth years' turn. And then the Fifth, until even the Third years will be banned from Hogsmead. It will give you more time to study."

He didn't stay to listen to the commentaries of the angered students but left the Great Hall with all the dignity one could muster when one was rigged out in a pair of gossamer wings, which are fluttering behind one's back.

Each Head of the Houses was soon assaulted by prefects from their House swearing on their House honour that none of their Housemates were responsible for the prank that had been played on the Headmaster.

The four Heads of House had commandeered the Teachers' room to discuss the situation.

"My students swore to me on our House's honour that they aren't responsible in any way for the prank." Pomona Sprout stated.

"My Ravenclaws swore the same thing. Besides, nobody would believe that one of your Hufflepuffs would be the culprit."

"And none of your Ravenclaws would endanger their academic chances."

"If you're going there, none of my Slytherins would be so direct. At least the Headmaster succeeded in uniting the school like he always wanted. Too bad it is against himself."

"Don't start Severus." Minerva McGonagall half-heartedly scolded him before sighing. "Even the Weasley twins were ready to swear an oath on their magic that they had nothing to do with this prank."

Severus shrugged. "I still have some Veritaserum."

"Let's keep that as a last resort. I'll try to mellow our Head Bumblebee." Minerva got to her feet, the corners of her mouth curling slightly upwards. "Frankly, that man is such a child. Should something like that happen to one of us, he would be the first to laugh." She shook her head as she left the room.

Her fellow professors looked at each others. "She must be very cross with the Headmaster to call him something like that, but it is appropriate, though." The tiny Charms professor remarked.

Both him and the Hufflepuff Head stood up to leave, neither noticing the miniscule smirk curling the Slytherin Head's mouth.

As they opened the door to leave, a barn owl entered the room, flying to the Potions Master. She alighted on the table and extended her leg towards the man.

Once he had taken the envelope, the owl hooted in satisfaction and took flight to land on his shoulder. With a hoot sounding like a giggle to the Potions Master, she burrowed under his hair until she reached his collar, where she squatted and settled to wait. Severus opened the note and read.

'Congratulations, fellow Marauder!

You have successfully completed the Trial, or so the chart tells us.

Do you have an idea for a nickname? If not we could chose one for you.

By the way, we want details!

We will let you inform our dear Prongs.

Moony and Padfoot.'

Severus let himself fall back in his chair, not remembering when he had stood up. He felt dizzy. Up until now, he had half believed that it was only a prank being played on him, that he would never be accepted by the Marauders. He, the poor loner of Hogwarts, had been accepted into the rich and popular boys' club.

Shaking his head, he rebuked himself. He was not an insecure teen anymore, but a respected Potions Master. He was Head of Slytherin, a superb Occlumens, which enabled him to be the only man able to successfully spy on the darkest Dark Lord since Grindelwald!

Grinding his teeth, he stalked out of the room to his beloved dungeons. No, he did **not** crave recognition.

The owl, unstable, grabbed a strand of hair in her beak to stabilise herself but never left. Severus stopped and nearly swore aloud at the sight of two mutinous teens waiting for him at his door. Was his karma so bad?

Harry attacked first. /I didn't do it! Even if I wanted to! I swear!/

Severus sighed and opened his quarters. "Inside, both of you!" he ordered. Both teens slinked inside. Severus closed the door and leant against it, wondering why he didn't transform and run when he could.

He held his hand in the air, warding both teens' protest off. "All the House prefects swore on the honour of their House that none of the students have done it. Professor McGonagall is trying to mellow 'the Head Bumblebee' as she called him."

Harry snickered. Draco rolled his eyes. "I didn't know that old McGonagall had a sense of humour."

/I could have told you that./

"So could I. Besides, I am absolutely sure that no students are responsible."

"Not even the Weasley twins?"

/If they had done it, they would have said it!/

"Relax, Potter. I can honestly swear that a Marauder is responsible for the prank."

/Uh? Which one? And if they were here, why didn't they come and see me?/

Severus was hesitating on the answer to give when his fire flared green and out came Lucius. "Ah, Severus, I wanted to…" He came silent as he noticed his son and the teen cat standing to the side. "Entertaining Severus? Isn't it a bit late to have students in your quarters?"

Severus stood a few seconds in silence, wondering about his sanity. Was it normal to wish for a summon, or even to want to avada all the inconveniences standing in his quarters?

Without responding, Severus went to his alcohol cabinet, took two bottles out of it, poured himself some of each bottle in a glass, turned the mix with a spoon for a few seconds and downed the glass before pouring himself another one, which he drank slowly, his eyes closed.

He opened his eyes once he had finished the glass and blurted "Damn, you're all still there."

Lucius chuckled and went to pour himself a glass of the same cocktail as he rather liked it since Severus had introduced him to it two decades ago. Rummaging about in the cabinet, Lucius smirked when he found a small jar. He opened it and sniffed at the contents. Satisfied, he smiled thinly and delicately fished something between two fingers. He was turning to add the little green oval thing to his drink when he was bowled over by an excited teen-cat.

Lucius sprawled inelegantly on the floor, rattling the cabinet while the olive container went flying the other way. It didn't fly long as it was expertedly caught by a delighted Harry who rapidly upended the jar over his mouth. Once he had all the olives in his mouth, he munched happily and swallowed.

Once he was done with the olives, he blocked the jar between his paws and licked it clean as best as he could. Lucius, meanwhile, had gotten back to his feet and was shaking his head to clear it.

Harry's head swivelled at the sound of movement. His nose wrinkled and he let the jar fall to the floor where it shattered.

Harry, purring, squatted to the floor, low on his belly. He crawled towards Lucius, his tail parallel to his back, its tip gently swaying from side to side.

He stopped a few inches from the stunned man. Extending his neck, he gently grabbed the olive Lucius was somehow still holding between his front teeth. He quickly gobbled it down, shivering in ecstasy, before redoubling his purring. His nimble tongue began to lick off all traces of olive juices from Lucius' fingers.

Blocking Lucius' wrist between his paws, claws pricked just enough to warn Lucius against inopportune movement, Harry continued his pursuit of olive juices.

Draco, staring in morbid fascination jumped, startled, when Severus shouted "Lucius, you stupid…. Slytherin! Don't you know anything?"

Lucius arched an eyebrow at the agitated godfather of his son before tensing slightly as Harry added delicate nibbles to his licking. He couldn't stop a deep sigh from escaping his lips.

Draco slapped a hand on the side of his face. "Father never had an interest in cats. Too Gryffindorish." He informed his slightly swaying godfather. He, of course, had researched the subject once his House had been tasked with the care of the teen-cat. He knew that a great majority of domestic cats could not resist olives. Apparently, neither could Harry Cat Potter. He frowned and took a good look at his godfather. He sighed when the state his godfather was in sank in fully.

He turned to his father and rolled his eyes at his flushed cheeks and short breath. He looked at Harry, who was slightly sucking on Lucius' index. He didn't look amenable to being separated from his new toy, and Draco didn't want to risk being mauled by an unhappy teen-cat who had been separated from the last molecules of olive in the room. That his father, Lucius Malfoy, was the one wearing those olives molecules on his skin was unsubstantial.

Draco sighed again. He felt like the only adult in charge of a dissipated trio of five years olds. He prayed that Harry would limit molesting his father to his fingers during the time he would be gone. He winced when he noticed that his father's unoccupied hand was raking through Harry's hair. With a decided shake of his head, Draco went to tackle Severus first.

Striding to his godfather, he grabbed him by the wrist and tugged him into his bedroom. Once there, he pushed him until the professor was sitting on his bed. Draco pointed his wand at the man's boots.

"Déchausse."

Severus blinked at his bootless feet. He wriggled his toes and the blinked up at Draco.

"Lightweight." Draco mumbled and the spelled the man's robes off and to a nearby chair.

Severus blinked at his robes, and stared at Draco until, getting his professor's drift, Draco spelled the robes folded. He then crossed his arms as he witnessed his godfather's failed attempts to stand up. Draco bit back a shriek as some of his godfather's hair moved on its own volition. He sighed when an owl passed its head through the parted hair.

He was taken aback when both the owl and his godfather blinked at him in unison. He chose to address the owl. "Don't let him leave the bed until he's sober." He ordered the bird who hooted sharply.

He left the room, shaking his head and mumbling "I've spent way too much time with Potter recently."

He did shriek when he reached the sitting room, but neither Harry nor Lucius deigned to look at him, as they were both lost in their own little personal world.

They had moved to the couch where Harry was sprawled over Lucius and, while Harry was worshipping Lucius' neck, Lucius' hands were carding through Harry's hair and caressing his back.

Draco bit his lips, torn. He could throw in the towel, wash his hands off this entire story and leave Potter to his shenanigans, even stay to collect blackmail material, both on his father and Potter. It was the easy way, the Slytherin way.

So why did he only gave it some thought for a few seconds before resorting to the tried method of upturning a bucket of cold water over the couple laying on the couch? Well, at least this way he would be able to answer a question that had been bugging him for a while. That is to finally find out if it was possible to take photographs in a pensieve. Because if it was possible, he had a few memories that would make first rate blackmail material.

Like now, with the way Harry yowled and jumped, clawing his way up a tapestry and squeezing himself on the top of a bookshelf. Or the way his father sat on the couch, his hair plastered to his face and neck, blinking as if he couldn't even begin to decipher how he had ended in this situation.

Draco turned to look in the direction of the top of the bookshelf where Harry was. He couldn't clearly see the cat-boy because of the dim light but he could hear him mumbling clear enough. Knowing how cats felt about being doused with water, Draco knew he was not on Harry's good list right now. Knowing Harry like he did, Draco was sure he now ranked a tiny bit under Pettigrew on Potter's list of 'people I hate'. No help from him then when Draco had to tackle his father. Better not count on Severus either… But Draco would feel better with somebody, like an adult, at his back when he told his father that he had out-stayed his welcome, considering that the man was as dangerous as a besieged asp on his best days. And with what Draco had done, his threat level would probably be updated from asp to rattled rattlesnake.

Draco slowly and carefully, so as to not startle his father out of the trance he seemed to be in, went to collect a pinch of floo powder from the container on the chimney.

With a quick glance to assure himself that nothing had changed, Draco did the only sensible thing he could think of. He floo called the two Marauders residing in Grimmauld place in a whisper.

After some urgently whispered explanations to a somewhat surprised Sirius, Draco breathed a sigh of relief when both him and the werewolf stepped out of the floo.

Remus immediately went to stand behind the seated Lucius, ready to physically restrain the blond wizard if need be.

While Draco was sent to check on a probably sleeping Severus, Sirius began the daunting task of getting Harry back on the floor. He grinned as he spied two weary green eyes glowing on the top of the shelf.

"So Harry, did you know that Snape was the first one to complete the Trial? I really want details. And possibly a photo or two. We'll need your input to find him a nickname. Well, yours and the blond whelp's." He paused and decided against asking explanations about the dishevelled and out of order blonde Slytherin seating on the couch. That would not make Harry come down, quite the contrary. He would have to settle on a later time to sate his curiosity. Damned unhelpful Slytherin teenagers!

"You'll have to come down, I can't hear you from there!"

A pouting silence was his only answer. "We'll even make sure the blond whelp behave. No more throwing water at you. He'd better, since he was the one to call us here."

The silence turned disbelieving. /Whelp? You're claiming him?/ Sirius shrugged "I can't understand you, Harry." He smirked and pulled a container out of his robes. He opened it, waving it a bit around to make sure the smell of its contents would waft up to Harry's nose. Harry's back paws had barely made contact with the floor that Harry was already wrenching the container out of an amused Sirius' hand.

With a disdainful sniff at his chuckling godfather, Harry went to eat his smoked salmon on the rug in front of the fire.

Lucius jumped a little when he felt two warm hands land on his shoulders. Remus leant over the back of the couch to murmur in his ear. "Unless you want to incur Sirius' wrath, I would suggest leaving before he realise just why we were called here."

After a few seconds to cast a drying charm on himself, Lucius shrugged Remus' hands off and strode to the floo. Before he left, he couldn't help the quick rubbing of Harry's left ear.

Draco, who had poked his head past the door to see how things were going, couldn't believe his eyes. His father had left, without bloodshed, which was a plus, but he had done what, for him, amounted to a public demonstration of affection. Draco felt dizzy. And all after a few words from the Gryffindor werewolf. Draco felt something akin to admiration grow in his chest towards Remus Lupin. Before slightly panicking. He, a pureblood, was admiring a werewolf! A Gryffindor one at that!

His panic deepened when he saw the expectant look on the escaped convict's face and realised that he would have to be the one to explain what he had stumbled upon to the two overprotective godfathers of one Harry Potter. If they didn't kill him, the light siders would queue for the privilege to have a go at him for letting the Saviour of the wizarding world being sullied by a Death Eater old enough to be his father.

And where was **his** godfather during his time of need? Sleeping his vodkatini over-indulgence, that's where! His panic attack was progressing nicely before being cut short by Remus Lupin shaking him by the shoulders. Draco cocked his head. When had he crossed the room?

"I'm not a Gryffindor." The Slytherin blurted.

Remus quirked an eyebrow in wonderment before he nodded in understanding. He squeezed Draco's shoulders before releasing him. "Don't worry. You've done good." He reassured the teenager. "I'll protect you from the big bad dog." He added with a smirk.

Draco went to sit on the couch and weakly sneered at Harry who had the audacity to fall asleep curled on the rug in front of the fire after starting this whole mess. Remus and Sirius sat in chairs in front of the couch.

Both smiled when Draco retold Severus' prank at dinner. Once he had related the Headmaster's threat on the students' Hogsmeade privileges, Sirius jumped to his feet and began to pace, raking his hands in his hair and cursing the Headmaster. He ended by nearly wailing "He's attacking one of the only things worth going to Hogwarts for, apart from Hogwarts itself!"

Remus shook his head, smirking a little. Trust Sirius to focus on the important part… He tugged the agitated man back into his chair by his shirt sleeve. The Headmaster was in for some interesting times in the more or less near future.

Draco gulped and reluctantly forged on once he noticed that Remus still had a sure grip on the quick to anger man's shirt sleeve.

"Harry and I came to Severus' quarters to see if perhaps he could convince the Headmaster to rethink his decision."

Both Marauders nodded.

"A few minutes after we had arrived, my father flooed in just after Severus had assured us that a Marauder was responsible for the prank played on the Headmaster. He went to have a glass or two of vodkatini, my father went to join him. Everything went well until my father opened a can of olives."

Hearing one of his favourite words, Harry more or less sat up, mewled /Where?/ before sprawling back on the rug and continuing to sleep.

Draco rushed to finish. "Harry rushed to my father, it sent the can flying. Harry caught it, ate all of them, apart from the one my father was still holding. Then he went after that one too, and licked the juices. And then I went and put uncle Severus to bed.

When I came back, I found both Harry and my father on the couch so I doused them with water, which lead to the situation I called you about." Draco had spoken so quickly he spent the next few seconds catching his breath.

"What?" Sirius roared, somehow waking neither Severus nor Harry up. He was beginning to stand up, but fortunately, Remus' hold on his shirt sleeve still held. Draco idly wondered that Sirius' shirt was made of good, solid material. He jumped a little when Sirius addressed him "And you couldn't stop them?"

Draco gulped. Remus saved him another time. He slapped Sirius over the head with his free hand. "In case it escaped your notice, he did stop them. Or did you already forget where each of them was when we arrived?" He turned to the petrified Draco with a small smile. "Go back to your House. I'll deal with all the growling and raging."

Draco didn't need to be told twice. As he was closing the door to his godfather's quarters, he heard his cousin ask "Moony, do you remember the incantation of the chastity belt spell?" He chuckled and shook his head softly, idly wondering on which wizard Black intended to use the curse.

* * *

When Lucius Malfoy arrived home, it was to discover the somewhat disagreeable spectacle of his wife dressed in a provocative outfit. As soon as she saw him, she cooed and went to paw at him, trying to seduce him into revealing what he intended to offer her on her birthday, and possibly enlarge her gift.

Lucius grabbed her wandering hands and held her at arms' length. "Are you drunk?" he asked her.

"No, just curious. Can't I have even a little clue?"

Lucius shook his head. "No, I don't want to give the surprise away." 'Especially since I still don't know what I'll be offering you.' He thought. Aloud, he added "Now leave me alone, I still have some work to do."

Narcissa pouted "You can't blame a witch for trying." Before transfiguring her clothing into some more conservative attire and stepping outside of the foyer.

Lucius strode to his office. Atop his desk, he found a thick envelope without any marking he could see on. He took his outer robe off and draped it atop the sofa, before settling in the comfortable chair behind the desk. He opened the drawer on his left and took his letter opener out, putting it on the desk top.

Once he had scanned the letter to make sure it was innocuous enough, he slid the letter opener under the envelope's edge. Four smaller envelopes slipped out of the first one when he upended it over the desk top. Frowning, Lucius scanned those as well before opening each one of them in the order they were numbered in.

His frown deepened when all he could find in the envelopes were lists. He settled each list under its corresponding envelope and studied them in turn. He finally reached for the first and biggest envelope and shook it slightly over his desk top.

A single piece of parchment fluttered on the desk. He grabbed it and read the two first sentences written on it.

'Each of those envelopes contains a list of what I'll need for each project. Either you chose by chance now and send me the corresponding material, or send me all the items listed on all the lists and chose once the projects are finished.

Cheers!

JPS'

A line had been added, in a different penmanship, under the signature.

'Send whatever you'll do with one of your House elves, instruct it to get it to me.

R. Less.'

Lucius blinked, a bit taken aback at the second signature. He authorised himself a little smirk once he realised who it was. 'Hairless indeed.'

He called a House elf and gave him all the lists, instructing him to buy all the objects noted on the lists and to deliver them to Rabastan Lestrange, in the Lestrange mansion, as well as James' prior requirement.

* * *

James had locked himself in the lab as soon as he had been informed of the arrival of all the elements he had requested. He had quickly gone over the bases again, making sure that he still had the knack. As a result, there was a case full of Christmas balls and various little animals, cups and glasses.

For the next three days, he slaved on Narcissa's present, only stopping to eat and sleep when Rabastan dragged him out of the lab.

He was finally done, putting the finished gifts in their own little boxes to await Lucius' perusal and approval when Bellatrix introduced a surprising visitor in the lab.

James blinked at the Dark Lord as he took in the new décor of the former potions laboratory. He then turned to James and detailed his appearance, from the faded red bandana holding his hair out of his face and the sweat from his eyes, to the sweat soaked shirt despite the cooling charms, and the large dragon skin apron wrapped around the thin waist of the glass-worker, under which boots made of the same material were peeking. A pair of thick gloves, also made of dragon skin, was in the apron's pocket.

"I see you've been busy." The Dark Lord commented.

James beamed happily. "It's the best thing I can do, apart from spending time with Severus. And it is what I like to do."

"I've come across some old vials containing acidic potions. An unbreakable charm has been applied, but I'd like you to check them over to be sure the charm will hold. If not, can you make some other, more solid, vials, apply an unbreakable charm and transfer the potion into them?"

"Why not reapply the charm? The glass should hold, unless they're really old…"

"They are. So, can you check them?"

"Sure, have them being delivered here. Depending on how many there is, I should be done in a day or two."

The Dark Lord turned to the door and called a shivering Peter Pettigrew in. The man very carefully put a small box on the table before bowing deeply to the Dark Lord and leaving the lab with a not so discreet sigh of relief.

James went to the table, opened the drawer and retrieved his wand, which he absently tucked into the apron's pocket.

He opened the box and stared intently at he seven vials nestled inside. Once satisfied, he took each one out of its velvet nest with great care, fingered each one of them before closing his hand around it and holding it, eyes closed, for a few seconds. He then put each back and turned to the expecting Dark Lord.

"I'll still have to check more in details, like the charms but the glass itself should hold for a while, at least for the four first ones, **if** they are manipulated with care. I didn't like the feel of the three last ones, though."

"I'll leave you to it, then. Sent word when you're done with one of the Lestranges." He then turned on his heels and left.

James waited a few minutes to be sure he was alone before letting himself fall to the floor. He sighed deeply and held his hands in front of his eyes. He observed their trembling for a while until it calmed before smirking and commenting softly "I don't know how he does that. I'm not sure I'll survive with my nerves intact. How the Hell did he end up in Slytherin?"

He got up and fished his wand from his apron pocket before aiming it at the vials in the box. He paused for a few seconds, sniffed at the air before grimacing. "Shower first. I'll start on it tomorrow morning."

He took his apron off and draped it over the table before leaving the lab. He locked the door and ran all the way to his bathroom, not noticing the hungry eyes following him from the shadows.

The following morning, he was tying his apron, singing under his breath, when an unwelcome guest stepped in his lab.

James jumped a little when he came face to chest with a tall and big blonde man. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" he asked, stepping back a little.

The man smirked malovently and extended a hand to caress an uncomfortable James' cheek.

"Shouldn't I be the one to ask you that? It is so rare to see new faces around here, especially someone as pretty as you are."

James gaped. "I'm not pretty!" he retorted, crossing his arms on his chest and stepping out of the man's reach. "And you shouldn't be there, I've got work to do." He stepped around the large man and opened the box on the table.

James tensed to suppress a shiver of disgust when the man chuckled and stepped behind him, pushing James against the table. James elbowed him in the gut, pushed the man away from him and turned to confront him. "That's enough. The door is there, don't let it hurt you on your way out and. Do. Not. Come. Back. Ever."

"Don't be like that. Surely there's no harm done in conversing a little." The Death Eater wheedled, reaching for a vial and starting to play with it. James' eyes widened. It was one of the vials that he was sure he'd have to change.

The man began to twirl the vial he was holding. James winced and turned to the man. "Stop that! Put it on the table, quick!" he tried to convince the man, who, happy to have found a way to make his prey react, began to laugh. "Why should I? I was the one who found them. I know there's an unbreakable charm on each one of them."

James rolled his eyes. "And apparently Charms was not your best subject during your schooling. Since you don't seem to have heard about entropy."

"What's that? A charm?"

James sighed. "I'll simplify for you. The vial and the charm together compose a system. The vial is an object while the Charm is energy. Without external intervention, the system is stable, but entropy is a theory that state that as time pass, the system will react in only one way, non-reversible, which means that the energy will decrease until the charm fail. Like ice cubes thawing in a glass in a warm room. The charm will hold until enough time has passed, or the caster is dead, and thus unable to supply enough energy to sustain the charm.

And yes, even unbreakable charms need to be refreshed from time to time or else they'll fail. And the more attacks there will be against the charm, the less time it'll hold, each attack chipping away at the charm's reserve of energy.

Moreover, the glass composing the vial is now embrittled by both its age and the potion, as well as the shocks you're putting it through and could break at any time. In fact, I'm surprised it hasn't yet.

So put it carefully on the table and leave. Now."

The man sneered. "Why should I believe you? All this technical babbling could be to try and confuse me, after all."

James sighed and looked at the door where Rodolphus had stepped. "Hello, I'm a glass-worker, I'm a specialist in anything glass made. Besides, I also have a Charms Mastery…" James stopped speaking abruptly as his trained ears had heard a tiny cracking sound. He gestured Rodolphus away and plunged behind the table a few seconds before the vial broke in the Death Eater's startled face.

When the screaming stopped, James carefully peeked over the table and gagged at the grisly spectacle, happy that he had forgone breakfast this morning.

He looked up at the door when somebody softly called to him. "Louis? What happened here?"

Pale and shaking, James sidestepped the horribly disfigured body and rushed into Rodolphus' open embrace.

In a faint voice, he asked Rodolphus "Why did he refuse to listen to me?"

Rodolphus answered in a murmur "I don't know. He was stupid."

James gulped convulsively "I need Sev." He sniffled before hiding his face against Rodolphus' shoulder.

The Death Eater rubbed his back before disentangling himself from a trembling James. He then, with a gentleness surprising in somebody in his line of work, tugged James away from the lab and to his room, where he left him huddled on the bed under a comforter.

As he was passing his wife on his way to his office, he quickly informed her of the last minutes of the confrontation he had overheard when the noise of the conversation coming from the lab had dragged him from his search of the missing Death Eater. He asked her to take care of the body while he went to owl Severus.


End file.
